The album features sonic influences as diverse as Gregorian chants, mandolin, and gothic layered vocals.
Strings are also used prominently in most of the songs. 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 was released to commercial and critical acclaim, becoming one of the few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Essential Records. Jars of Clay is the first full-length studio album by Christian rock group Jars of Clay.
