Review: Jars of Clay- Closer EP

I will start out by openly admitting that I love Jars of Clay. I am completely addicted to almost all of the music that they have ever put out (and they’ve put out plenty). But I will confess that I only became a big fan around the time of The Eleventh Hour. I just never really listened to them, really listened, until that album came out. By the time of Good Monsters, they were quickly climbing their way to the top of my list… after a few listens to Good Monsters; I decided to elevate them to my 2nd favorite band of all time (right behind As Cities Burn). So being a huge Jars of Clay fan, I was incredibly excited when they announced the release of a new EP. Now the EP is in my CD player, I will answer the question that you are likely wanting this review to answer:
Does it live up to their former releases?
Before I answer that, I will tell you that it is good. It is Jars of Clay, which means that if you have high expectations, you know they will most likely be either met or exceeded. That statement is proven accurate with Closer. For the majority of Jars of Clay fans, I imagine that all I would really need to say is, “it’s new Jars of Clay songs”, and you would instantly know that my words mean nothing. But for the rest of you, I will discuss the songs individually.
Track number one is the title track. It has a nice radio-friendly, pop love song feel to it (almost reminiscent of “Unforgetful You”). “Safe to Land” is next. It is a slower, love ballad that could happily find its place on any of Jars of Clay’s previous releases. The remakes of “Love Song for a Savior” and “Flood” come next. While they are not better than the originals, it is still very nice to hear Haseline’s matured vocals on these great songs. Finally “Prisoner of Hope” closes the EP. It is another slower song that reminds me of “Light Gives Heat”. “Prisoner of Hope”, while being a great song, is by far my least favorite song on the CD (of course with several more listens that could change… I seem to do that with Jars of Clay).
Overall this is a great EP by a great band. It most definitely meets the high standard that they have set for themselves.

6 out of 7

Highlights:
• All five tracks are highlights