Jars of Clay Christmas Songs Gray Matters Christmas 10-16-2007

SCORE 90%

This past June Jars of Clay blazed yet another new trail with the creation of their own label imprint, Gray Matters, under the Nettwerk Music umbrella. Christmas Songs is the label’s first fruit, and their first Christmas album as well. Bringing their usual packed set of creative skills to the project, they do a great job of balancing nostalgia and respect for the classics with fresh contemporary interpretations of the season’s power. Which is to say, they rock it.

The quiet instrumental opener, “The Gift of St. Cecelia,” tweaks your senses with its twinkling ingenuity, preparing your mind and spirit for something special. Sure enough, Jars’ unique, lush interpretation of “Wonderful Christmastime” turns the bouncy upbeat track on its ear. The weighty synth work and layered vocals add texture and direct us toward the mystery of the season, rather than McCartney’s focus on the joyous aspect. It’s more thick ambiance on “Love Came Down at Christmastime,” as thick 12-string chords contrast the pure vocals, with a sweet jazz guitar solo midtrack. Jars’ atmospheric rendition of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” will startle you with its nuanced power, the choral arrangements playing against the quiet rhythms absolutely captivating, and the track goes out in a blaze of glimmering sonics.

I love the sweet, tender “Hibernation Day,” particularly for its light-hearted jazz moments. This track and a few others could actually work at any time of the year. Also extremely notable is the breath-taking original, “Winter Skin.” Its pristine arrangements, spacious and precise, set a mood like it’s laid out before you; pure Jars. The other standouts are also their own originals: “Evergreen” employs jingle bells, achingly emotive strings, and mesmerizing background vocals to create a wondrous ambience, and “In The Bleak Midwinter” creates a sense of stillness with its hushed orchestration and gentle movements. I loved the muted percussion under the thick chorals. “Gabriel’s Message,” quietly thick with sound, conveys a wonderful sense of the sacred.

The project closes out on a joyous, celebratory note with the glimmering, airy “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” emphasizing peace and the eternity of God and His plan, a final and lovely Christmas gift from Jars of Clay. One of the season’s best, it must be said.