In an excellent follow-up to their debut album, Jars of Clay continue exploring their musical strengths, while moving their lyrics into a more mature and somewhere darker plane. The cutting “Crazy Times”, though it remains within the parameters of the band’s Christian rock obligations, also seems to be a little more judgemental than the first album’s material (“it takes more than your saline eyes / to make things right”). However, these lyrics add just a dash of realism to what could have instead been an increasingly happy and condescending tone that I sometimes find irritating in this particular genre. Jars of 
Clay maintain their awesome gift for harmonies with songs such as “Fade To Grey”, “Overjoyed”, and “Truce”, my favorites from this album. The string section embellishments from their previous album can be heard again here, proving that this is one band that can find new approaches within the sound that made them popular. Definitely a good one.
- Overjoyed (2:59)
- Fade To Grey (3:34)
- Tea and Sympathy (4:52)
- Crazy Times (3:34)
- Frail (6:37)
- Five Candles (You Were There) (3:48)
- Weighed Down (3:39)
- Portrait of an Apology (5:42)
- Truce (3:11)
- Much Afraid (3:52)
- Hymn (3:56)
Released by: Essential
Release date: 1997
Total running time: 46:08
