Greatest Hits bears a striking resemblance to
The Essential Jars of Clay, which was released only seven months prior.
Jars of Clay left the roster of Essential Recordings in early 2007 and promptly founded their own label, Gray Matters, under whose name they released the holiday-themed Christmas Songs that same year. Essential Recordings continued to reissue the band's existing material, though, offering up the double-disc
The Essential Jars of Clay that fall and the (very) similar
Greatest Hits in early 2008. Both releases feature a retrospective view of
Jars of Clay, cataloguing their biggest hits (the strongest of which come from 1995's self-titled debut, particularly the post-grunge single "Flood") alongside some lesser-known tracks and fan favorites. Although
The Essential Jars of Clay contains twice the material, those seeking a quick fix could do worse than this disc. ~ Andrew Leahey