Jars of Clay's eponymous first full-length album is characterized by a combination of drum loops and acoustic guitar strumming that would become an early trademark of the band.

The album features sonic influences as diverse as Gregorian chants, mandolin, and gothic layered vocals.

Most of this album consists of reworked versions of songs from the band's demo, Frail, which was recorded as a class project during their senior year of college.

Charlie Lowell, Dan Haseltine and Matt Bronleewe had been there for the year of 1992 and played in various bands as well as producing their own studio projects.

When Stephen Mason appeared on the scene in September 1993, and had similar interests in music, the friends decided to write a song together.

Following Christmas vacation, the four of them decided they'd like to write additional songs to add to their live repertoire and satisfy the requirements of their recording studio class, but thought it would be appropriate to give a name to these collaborations.

They played "Fade to Grey" and "Like a Child" complete with choreography and baby "binkies" in their mouths and met with positive responses from record companies who were present.

They also accepted jobs during this time, at places such as pizza shops, mall stores and book warehouses while waiting for the contract.

His previous collaborations with Laurie Anderson, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Frank Zappa and longtime involvement with King Crimson, made him a primary candidate for producer.

Studio musicians were brought in to fill in gaps and Ron Huff did string arrangements to embellish the songs and give them an orchestral quality.

The band was met with high critical acclaim in numerous Christian magazine articles and other sources due to the unique harmonies and instrumentation on the album, as well as their honest and relatable lyrics.

Essential Records then decided to use parent label Silvertone to promote the album and send out CD singles to radio stations.

They continued to tour on their own through the summer of 1996 and decided to take the music to the club circuit where secular listeners could feel more comfortable seeing the band.

They purchased their own sound and lights and brought Roddy Chong, a violinist, on tour, opening the shows with a classical violin piece and using backdrops such as folded curtains, oriental rugs and candelabras.

The Samples opened the concerts for the first couple weeks and were shortly after dropped due to an incompatibility with Jars as well as their audience.

[6] In October 2010, Jars of Clay announced that during their 2010 fall tour they would perform their first album in its entirety to commemorate 15 years from the release.