Much Afraid

''Much Afraid'' is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released in 1997 by Essential Records. Following the charting success of the band's debut album, ''Much Afraid'' was moderately successful, but was unable to achieve the level of its predecessor.

Background and production

"Fade to Grey" and " Frail" were both previously from the group's demo recording '' Frail'' in 1994. All other tracks from that demo were recorded for the debut album ''Jars of Clay'' in 1995, but due time and budget constraints they weren't able to record the track. The versions of these songs included on ''Much Afraid'' have changed significantly with some lyrical and overall arrangement changes, especially "Frail", which was previously an instrumental piece and now contained lyrics. Notably, these songs were two of the first songs written by Jars of Clay.Powell, Mark Allan.
Encyclopedia of contemporary Christian music
'. Hendrickson Publishers, 2002. 444. The new version was released as the third radio single from the ''Much Afraid'' album and reached #1 on the U.S. Christian radio charts.

The album features the multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells, who went on to produce OneRepublic, Katy Perry, Rufus Wainwright, and both ''Wicked'' (2024 film) movies, playing drums and bass guitar on almost every song; he also co-wrote "Tea and Sympathy", "Overjoyed", and the single "Crazy Times".

The title is a reference to Hannah Hurnard's 1955 novel '' Hinds' Feet on High Places'', whose main character was named Much Afraid.

The album marked various musical and lyrical differences to its predecessor.

The song "Five Candles (You Were There)" was initially written for the soundtrack to the film ''Liar Liar'' starring Jim Carrey, but it was cut from the credits in favor of a blooper reel. A working title of the song during the writing and recording studio sessions was "The Wish", which fits with the themes of ''Liar Liar'', just as the eventual title "Five Candles", because the story revolves around the wish Max made as he blew out the five candles for his fifth birthday. The song was later used in the 1998 Michael Keaton film, '' Jack Frost'', and was featured on that film's soundtrack.

One song recorded during the ''Much Afraid'' sessions that did not make the final track listing is "Fly Farther". The song, featuring vocals by Alison Krauss, was later released in 1999 on the band's early rarities collection '' The White Elephant Sessions''.

Release and commercial performance

"Overjoyed" is the fourth single and the fourth consecutive No. 1 radio single from the album. An acoustic rendition of the song appears on the band's 2003 double album, '' Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage''. This song was also the compilation album '' WOW 1998''.

"Truce" is the fifth and final single and the fifth consecutive single to reach number one on the Christian radio airplay charts. No promotional single was shipped to radio stations for airplay. Instead, radio stations played the track directly from the album.

Reception

The album was highly anticipated due to the success and acclaim of the band's eponymous debut album, but was not as well received. Despite debuting at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' 200 (the group's first record had failed to reach the Top 40), it quickly slid down the chart, its sales failing to match those of its predecessor. The lead single, " Crazy Times", did not perform well on mainstream radio. It was, however, better received on Christian radio.

''Much Afraid'' earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.

Track listing

A bonus three-track disc was bundled with early copies of the album and made available exclusively through Family Christian Bookstores. All three tracks were recorded live acoustically on July 3, 1997, at the Quad, with no remastering or editing of the songs.

Charts and certifications

; Album

; Singles

Year-end charts

Personnel

Jars of Clay
* Dan Haseltine – vocals, percussion
* Charlie Lowell – keyboards, acoustic piano, organ, backing vocals
* Stephen Mason – guitars, bass, backing vocals
* Matt Odmark – guitars, mandolin, backing vocals

Additional musicians

* Greg Wells – bass (1–3, 8), drums (1–5, 7–10), percussion (4)
* Neil Conti – drums (6)
* Kate St. John – English horn (5)
* Ronn Huff – string arrangements (2, 5, 8, 11)
* The Nashville String Machine – strings (2, 5, 8, 11)
* Richard Niles – string arrangements (3)
* Gavyn Wright – conductor (6)
* The London Session Orchestra – strings (6)

Production

* Robert Beeson – executive producer, art direction
* Stephen Lipson – producer
* Heff Moraes – engineer, mixing
* Chuck Linder – assistant engineer
* Mike Griffith – string engineer
* Adam Hatley – assistant string engineer
* Don C. Tyler – digital editing
* Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, California
* Michelle Knapp – art direction
* Skye Communications – art direction, design, layout
* Photodisc – cover photography
* Martyn Galina-Jones – inside photography
* Norma Jean Roy – inside photography

References

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Jars of Clay albums
Essential Records (Christian) albums
1997 albums
Albums produced by Stephen Lipson
Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album