I bought this album along with "Remption Songs" and almost every other Jars album out at the time in 2004. I tried listening to this, and after maybe two listens I immediately shelved it up until this year. Why? Because it was worse than past Jars albums, because it was crap? No. In a way, it reminds me of U2's "Achtung Baby". I could not appreciate that album the first 20 times I listened to it, I had to shelve it and come back to it later, and when I did, it quickly became my favorite U2 album even over "Joshua Tree". Anything that Jars of Clay produces is just as good as anything that U2 has done. They are two of my favorite bands... Anyway...

"Who We Are Instead" helped me understand where Jars is heading and why they did the album "Redmption Songs". They obviously have a love for roots music. This album is unlike any of their albums in the past stylistically. Some people tried to say it was akin to their folk roots in their debut self-titled ablum, but this album is closer to a blue grass album then a folk album. Their albums since this album have all been deeply influenced by roots music. Although "Good Monsters" combined many styles, in the end it was still steeped in roots music with tracks like "Even Angels Cry", "There is a River", and "Mirrors and Smoke".

I have still yet to warm up to this entire album, but with each repeated listen I enjoy more of the songs. I was so determined to enjoy this album I put it on my ipod and repeated it over and over. It has taken the me last two months to begin to enjoy the album in its entirety. The most accessable tracks to be begin with are "Sunny Days", the fun bouncy opening track, "Lonely People", the America cover, and "Show You Love", which is probably the most accessable song on here. The songs that took time to grow on me, but eventually became my favorite tracks so far here are "Only Alive" a slow plaintive track about love, "Trouble Is", also one of the catchier songs on here, I still don't quite understand the lyrics, but it reminds me of "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Jesus' Blood Hasn't Failed Me Yet", a very simple track that is exactly about what the title says, and "Faith Enough", a nice slow song about well... faith. ;P

At first this album seemed very monotonous, but after repeated listens, it became very diverse. If you hate this album even after a few listens, I encourage you to put it on the shelf for a while and come back to it. This is one of those rare albums that only gets better in time. This is definitely one of Jars of Clays best albums, I may even like it more than "Good Monsters", in terms of cohesiveness it is definitely a better album, but each is very different thematically and musically... These reason I probably enjoy this album more is because it is more straight-up Christian, yet isn't done so in a way that is cheesey or saccharine. Jars of Clay is probably the only band I know of that can walk this line successfully.

God Bless ~Amy

Jars of Clay is one of the front-running bands in Contemporary Christian music, and they've faired pretty well as crossover artists in the mainstream (remember "Flood" from the '90s?). As mature Christian artists, their very name reminds them to remember who they are and where they came from, as it alludes to a passage in the Bible: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (2 Cor. 4:7) Throughout their discography, Jars consistently delivers poetic, thought-provoking lyrics in musical styles that vary drastically from song to song, album to album. This is one of the precious few bands that can actually pull off the "master of all trades" title.

I've been a fan of Jars since day one, and they never cease to surprise me with their creativity and flexibility; "Who We Are Instead" not only carries on that tradition, but it blows their prior works out of the water. The vast spectrum of styles on this CD alone makes it easy to listen to it for hours on end without tiring of it. Please remember while reading my review that my favorite songs have a strong message to be found in the lyrics.

"Sunny Days" is a light pop-sounding track with an excellent, toe-tapping beat that gets you warmed up for the rest of the album. It was one of the two songs on this album that I've heard on the radio.

"Amazing Grace" is a slower, more powerful and reflective piece that fills you with a sense of joy at having been forgiven of our pasts.

"Lonely People" is a cover of the old America song with a couple of twists to make it clear that Jars of Clay intends for the "lonely people" to trust in God for companionship. The band cultivates an excellent tone that sounds right out of the '70s.

"Only Alive" is the only track on the CD that I will routinely skip; it's got a great message, but the overall tone just feels like a funeral dirge, as if the vocalists want to sing faster, but the music is holding them to a depressingly slow tempo. It may just be me, but it isn't my favorite song on the album.

"Trouble Is" contains the album's title when it states that "the trouble is we don't know who we are instead." This track is yet another example of Jars' creative genius, as they use a banjo and varient-tempo percussion to drive a powerful song about our struggle as Christians to define who we are now that we're not "of the world." I believe the message is that we find our new identity in Christ, not ourselves.

"Faith Enough", one of my favorites, is a quiet song using several illogical relationships (rope worn enough for climbing, body frail enough for fighting, barren enough to conceive, etc) to show us the powerful faith-building progress we make when we put our situation in God's hands instead of our own, and trust that He can get us through an otherwise impossible situation. Dan Haseltine's voice handles this delicate song beautifully.

"Show You Love" was the other track heard on the radio. Not necessarily my favorite on the album, as I didn't find any profound message in it, but it's still a good listen that in no way detracts from the album as a whole. "I'm In the Way" and "Sing" fall into the same category for me.

"Lesser Things" and "Jealous Kind" both contain a powerful message about putting other things above God in our lives. "Lesser Things" shows how pathetic it is that we choose ANYTHING over God, whereas "Jealous Kind" focuses on our relationship with Him and how He's always there to take us back. The band does an awesome job with both, but "Jealous Kind" just blows me away every time I hear it. If you truly listen to it, there's a good chance that you'll be convicted to the point of tears. This song is an alter-call if I've ever heard one.

"Jesus Blood Never Failed (me yet)" feels like a space-filler, as it's basically a chant of the title over and over in different tones. Not a bad listen, but not the most important part of the album.

"My Heavenly" is a beautiful, quietly energizing ending to the album, almost feeling like we're ramping up for experiencing a Heaven that's only an arm's length away. Yet another of my favorites on this album.

In summary: BUY THIS ALBUM.

There is only one Jars of Clay CD that I think is better than this one *Eleventh Hour* but I really love "Faith Enough" the lyrics are amazing! "Sunny Days" was my theme song for nearly two years and "Show you Love" has caught on with friends *christian and non*

Let me start off by saying I am a fan of ALL types of music. As far as CCM, I love Jars & I like Third Day, but that's about it. I am 43 years old and a music fanatic. I own about 1,000 CD's and I love all types of music (even hip hop and hard core metal). My favorite bands are Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd, U2, Tool, and Jars of Clay (so you can see the wide variety). I own 6 Jars CD's and this one is the BEST. In fact, this is probably my "desert island" CD. This CD is VERY uplifting (like all Jars CD's). I am a Christian (Catholic) and lover of music!

Jars of Clay is one of those super groups that can sound great in a variety of genres.

On this CD, their sound is acoustic and quite mellow. It features some outstanding harmony.

Some of the standout songs on this album include the following: Sunny Days, Trouble Is, Show You Love, and Jealous Kind. The latter two are particularly good. Another one that they do very well on here is a cover of America's Lonely People.

Jars of Clay has several excellent albums. This is certainly one of them. I recommend it. I also suggest checking out several of their others.