Much Afraid

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Much Afraid
Much Afraid cover
Studio album by Jars of Clay
Released September 16, 1997
Recorded The Aquarium at London, UK
Genre Folk rock
Length 46:10
Label Essential Records
Producer(s) Stephen Lipson
Professional reviews
Jars of Clay chronology
Jars of Clay
(1995)		 Much Afraid
(1997)		 If I Left The Zoo
(1999)


Much Afraid is the second album of Christian band Jars of Clay. It was released in 1997 by Essential Records.

Much Afraid was highly anticipated after the success of the band's first album, but due to a noticeable stylistic shift, the album was not as well received. The lead single, "Crazy Times" did not do well on mainstream radio, though it was accepted at Christian radio. Since the sound had more of an electric-guitar driven sound, many fans expected Much Afraid to be more of a rock album than its predecessor. Instead, the album seemed to go the other way, taking a more lush and melancholy approach, scaling down the strings and drum loops that the band was known for. The lyrics were also more interpretive and less explicitly Christian than before, focusing more on relationships and emotional issues, though the album's title track and "Hymn" both mentioned "Sweet Jesus" in their lyrics. Some have compared the sound of this album to that of Toad the Wet Sprocket.

"Fade to Grey" and "Frail", the leftover tracks from the band's demo, were re-recorded for this album, and both were changed significantly. "Frail" in particular was notable because it now had lyrics.

The album features the multi-instrumental Greg Wells, who plays drums and bass guitar on almost every song and co-wrote "Tea and Sympathy" and the single "Crazy Times".

The song "Five Candles (You Were There)" was originally written for the soundtrack to the Jim Carrey film Liar Liar, but it was cut from the credits in favor of a blooper reel. The song was subsequently featured on a few other movie soundtracks. The album's title is a reference to the main character in Hannah Hurnard's allegorical novel Hinds' Feet on High Places.

This album earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Overjoyed"
  2. "Fade to Grey"
  3. "Tea and Sympathy"
  4. "Crazy Times"
  5. "Frail"
  6. "Five Candles (You Were There)"
  7. "Weighed Down"
  8. "Portrait of an Apology"
  9. "Truce"
  10. "Much Afraid"
  11. "Hymn"

[edit] Personnel

Nashville Strings

  • Ron Huff - String arrangement
  • Mike Griffith - engineer (Strings)
  • Adam Hatley - assistant engineer (Strings)

London Strings in Track 3

  • Richard Niles - String arrangement in Track 3
  • Gavyn Wright - conductor

[edit] Charts & RIAA Certifications

Album

Release
Year		 The Billboard 200
Chart Position		 RIAA Certification
1997 8 Platinum

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year Song Chart Position
1997 "Crazy Times" Modern Rock Tracks 38
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