Jars of Clay - The Long Fall Back toEarth

Now going on 15 years since their astounding debut, Jars of Clay returns for the first time since 2006's acclaimed, "Good Monsters" with their tenth project, "The Long Fall Back to Earth." Although some of the songs are lengthy and repetitive, most are positive, mid-tempo tunes sounding similar to Brandon Heath and the vocal style of Phillip Larue. "Two Hands" is probably the catchiest song here, but they are (unsuprising) superior when they dig a little deeper, especially on "Boys (Lesson One)" and the near title track, "Safe to Land." Both hook-landen tracks have an intimacy that only such a mature band can capture. Absolutely brilliant, is the single way I can describe their songwriting, listener relatable and so emotionally expressive, this album is award-winning music in the making. Plenty of others deserve a mention, "Headphones" and the gripping, "Scenic Route" are great examples of this veteran bands' musical abilities. Not many artists can create 14 worth while tunes back to back, that neither get boring or fall into the cliche category. So though the heaviness of some songs may keep this disc from grabbing lots of new fans, at this point in Jars of Clay's career, it's not about topping charts, but making good music. And they have thoroughly succeeded with this one. ~ Christian Lingner

4 1/2 of 5 stars