The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from the American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009, through Gray Matters and Essential Records. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category in 2010.

Overview The Long Fall Back to Earth is the first Jars of Clay album that doesn't include any cover songs since 2002's The Eleventh Hour.

In February 2009, the band released the first single off the album, "Two Hands", and this was followed by the second single, "Heaven", in October.

The Long Fall Back to Earth came in at number ten on Jesus Freak Hideout's most-anticipated albums of 2009.

Reception AllMusic said that the album "sees the quartet adopting, in varying degrees, the electronic pop stylings of David Bowie, the Flaming Lips, and MGMT, partially furloughing their live rhythm section in favor of one inspired by the '80s", while JesusFreakHideout said that the album is a "lush collection of pop rock songs with an indie touch that proves to be a well-balanced and solid effort from start to finish", and that "The style of the album itself is — yet again, in true Jars of Clay fashion — a noticeable departure from the sound of their previous release, carrying with it a strong 80's synth-rock vibe."

Track listing

Charts The album peaked at no. 29 on the Billboard 200 and no. 1 on Billboards Hot Christian Albums.

Awards In 2010, both the regular and limited edition of the album were nominated for a Dove Award for Recorded Music Packaging of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards, with the limited edition winning the prize. The album also won the award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, while the song "Two Hands" was also nominated for Song of the Year.41st Annual GMA Dove Awards nominees announced on The Tennessean (February 18, 2010)

The Long Fall Back to Earth was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Credits Jars of Clay Dan Haseltine – vocals Charlie Lowell – acoustic piano, keyboards, synthesizers, organ, backing vocals Stephen Mason – guitars, backing vocals Matthew Odmark – guitars, backing vocals

Additional musicians Gabe Ruschival – bass guitar, keyboard bass, percussion Jeremy Lutito – drums, percussion, loops, sounds Katie Herzig – backing vocals (7, 8)

Choir on "Weapons" Jars of Clay, Ben Shive, Joshua V. Smith

Production

Jars of Clay – producers at Sputnik Sound, Nashville, Tennessee; art direction Ron Aniello – producer (4, 5, 6, 11, 12) Mitch Dane – engineer Vance Powell – engineer (7, 8, 10, 13, 14) Joshua V. Smith – assistant engineer Jay Ruston – mixing at TRS West, Sherman Oaks, California Stephen Marsh – mastering at Marsh Mastering, Los Angeles, California Michelle Box – A&R production Tim Parker – art direction Kharyn Hill – photography Brandy St. John – stylist Denika Bedrossian – hair, make-up

References