Jars of Clay have grasped the golden chalice of pop success. And while that's a righteous feat for any band, it's a near-miracle for an act of their ilk. Blending acoustic-driven alterna-pop with biblically-inspired lyrics, these Nashville-based Christian rockers have achieved a level of crossover success unparalleled in the world of Contemporary Christian music.

The band's 1995 eponymous label debut is approaching double platinum status, and the recently released Much Afraid was certified gold just five weeks out of the box. If you believe Time Magazine's most recent headcount, there are more Jars of Clay fans than Promise Keepers.

Much Afraid draws its name and inspiration from the main character in Hannah Hurnard's illustrated novel, Hinds Feet On High Places. "It's kind of a allegorical book where the character goes on this journey," explains Jars of Clay guitarist Matt Odmark. "It's something that all of us have read and find that we really relate to. We all latched on to it early in making the record."

While Jars of Clay laid down the tracks for Much Afraid in Nashville, the final touches took place in London, home of producer Stephen Lipson. Odmark recalls, "It was fun to work over there. We spent a month on the overdubs and mixing, then another ten days getting to see England."

The sessions for Much Afraid also prompted the band to expand their musical horizons, adding a live drummer for the lion's share of the songs. "For this record we wanted to go with a bit more of a live feel, using drums instead of a rhythm track [used on the previous album]," explains Odmark. "We worked with a drummer who plays on virtually all the record, almost as if he were a fifth member of the band."

The experiment paid off, and Odmark says he is quite happy with the record. "I have lots of favorites on this CD. I really like the vulnerability of 'Fade To Grey.' The chemical mood and honesty of 'Frail' is cool. 'Five Candles' was actually written for the movie Liar Liar but never ended up in it. The song 'Truce,' for the longest time, was known as 'The Laundry Room Song.' We wrote it at a laundromat that we were at on the tour."

Jars of Clay's ascension can be traced back to a 1993 nationwide talent search for the best new Christian band. At Greenville College in Illinois, lead singer Dan Haseltine, keyboardist/vocalist Charlie Lowell, and guitarist/vocalist Stephen Mason all met and became friends. On a lark, they submitted a tape to the Gospel Music Association's contest. Jars of Clay strided through the preliminaries and swept the April 1994 finals in Nashville, which prompted a scholastic hiatus and relocation to Tennessee. Odmark, who was Lowell's best friend from high school, joined them there.

"We were fairly surprised at our initial success," says Odmark. "About three-and-a-half years ago, we were still in college, trying to figure out what to major in. It all happened extremely fast. There's no way to be really prepared for it."

When asked which of the Jars songs are the most religious, he responds, "That's a tough question. Our approach to music is one of transparency. Where we come from spiritually is that our identity as Christians kind of touches every single part of our lives. Not just church parts, but even the most mundane and dull parts too. We take that same approach to songwriting, so it's hard to put them on a totem pole of most and least. The songs are just snapshots of who we are."

"We're a band that just happens to be Christians," Odmark continues. "Sometimes it feels like what we do music-wise gets kind of lost in that debate. We'll do hundreds of interviews and talk for forty minutes about issues of doctrine and five minutes about our record. It gets frustrating, sometimes because we'll get lumped in with a slew of different artists. Just like a band out of Seattle feels who gets lumped in with the grunge sound."

CHRIS WALKER