Billie Ray Martin

June 27 - July 4, 1 9 9 6
[Off the Record]

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**1/2 Billie Ray Martin

JARS OF CLAY

(Silvertone)

On their debut album, Jars of Clay are well produced by Adrian Belew, who pushes drummer Tim Smith and singer Dan Haseltine to the front on most tracks. Unabashedly religious, Jars of Clay enjoy the same freshness, and risk the same tedium, as the Samples, who have made a kind of religion of the open air. Indeed, Haseltine sounds like Sean Kelly on "Love Song for a Savior" and the close harmonies on "Flood" faintly echo America's "Horse with No Name."

Tim Smith's double-time drumming on "Liquid" and "Sinking" defines the sound, filling the spaces nicely and giving the songs urgency. In between drums and voice, string arrangements featuring cello, violin, mandolin, and guitar strum up a modest setting for piano and recorder. The message is evangelical, the charts are simple and uniformly uplifting, and the lyrics are fully in the spirit. The band's name comes from II Corinthians 4:7: ". . . we have this treasure in earthen vessels." Certainly a worthy inspiration, but the greatest story explores the complex range of human experience, and so should this talented outfit.

-- Craig Thorn