Winning the Gospel Music Association’s Spotlight competition a few years back brought the neophyte band Jars of Clay to the attention of Nashville-based Essential Records. The ensuing record deal sported enough cash to pay legendary producer Adrian Belew to produce two tracks. After that, the band was on its own. Self-producing the remainder of their self-titled debut project became their only option. Double-platinum status later, it turned out to be a great idea. After releasing a couple of more critically acclaimed, if somewhat less successful, (although 5 million albums is nothing to sneeze at) Jars of Clay returns to their roots. Band members wrote, produced, conceptualized, designed, directed and filmed for the project, as well as built their own recording studio in Nashville, Sputnik Studios, to record "The Eleventh Hour," their first new project in nearly two-and-a-half years.

Guitarist Stephen Mason, took some time out of his schedule to phone WebRock.net about the album and the creative process.

WebRock.net – "The Eleventh Hour." What’s different; what’s familiar?

Mason – Ultimately, I think the thing that makes this album unique is that we took what was best from our three previous albums and tried to mix all those variables - musically, lyrically and sonically - into what this record was to be. Early responses have compared it in spirit to the first record. That probably has a considerable amount to do with the fact that we wrote all the songs by ourselves, just as we did on the first record. Through a certain set of circumstances we had the opportunity to produce it ourselves. We looked around at each other, and after promising never to do that again, we decided to give it a go, just to see how that played out. It was a battle at moments. There is a pivotal moment in each of our records, and this time around it was when we realized that - above and beyond that guitar sound that we can’t agree on, or that lyric that we are struggling with - this isn’t something that we can just walk away from. This is something that the four of us have been called to. The four of us have been brought into relationship for some greater purpose than to worry about ‘sounds.’

WebRock.net – On the first album it might be fair to assume that you were pretty much fresh out of college, inexperienced and didn’t really know what you were doing. This time around, you’ve had the opportunity to be in the studio with some high-powered producers, learning the tricks of the trade so to speak. But with four guys, each of whom has their own giftings, opinions, and independent streaks, all trying to produce – didn’t someone have to rise up and say, ‘okay, I’m in charge.’

Mason – I think in the process of deciding to produce this record ourselves, we realized that we would have to confront a lot of that relational stuff head on once again. We couldn’t throw it all on one guy that we were paying to produce this thing. We decided that we were going to be the ones to bare that weight, and that looked different to everybody. Everyone had to figure out how they could contribute the best; who is good at what. And it worked. We were very green on the first record, but it worked then. Ultimately it was about realizing that sometimes being a leader means pulling back - to lead sometimes by serving. It was a process, and it was by no means a smooth process altogether.

WebRock.net – What is impacting you the most today?

Mason – I’m reading a book about creativity, about working through the creative process. We have all developed biases while growing up that can prevent us from getting in touch with our creative selves. There are constraints that we put on ourselves that are not necessarily constraints that God has put there, that limit the art that God would help us create. I’ve really been trying to dig into who God is as the Great Creator, and to figure out what it looks like to be used by God creatively.

WebRock.net – Is the title, "The Eleventh Hour," indicative of the album?

Mason – The title is pretty important to the process, because many of the decisions based around it – the decision to produce it ourselves, and even many of the songs were eleventh hour contributions that literally came in at the last minute. For instance, we were finishing recording the song ‘I Need You’ which is our first single, while the rest of the record was being mixed. The title track was written in the last week of the writing process. Thematically the album asks the question, ‘What does it look like to be desperate, to be out on a limb, to feel like you are past the point of being rescued?’ When we are at our most desperate we have to realize that God’s time and our time are completely separate, and that we are never past the point of deliverance. The idea that runs through the whole record is that we are a needy people, and that in our need God loves us. And there is nothing we can do that will make Him love us any more… or any less.