Jekyll and Hyde (Petra album)

After the release of Revival, Petra's third praise album and their first album with Inpop Records, John Schlitt says fans started sending e-mails to the record company asking them for a more straightforward rock album. Inpop agreed to the idea and they started working on a second album together.

Schlitt has said that the record company encouraged Petra founder, guitarist and main songwriter Bob Hartman to "write those songs that you're used to writing. Don't try to write like this or try to be like that. Just be you" which motivated Hartman.[3] New bassist Greg Bailey also collaborated in the writing of the song "Would'a, Could'a, Should'a", along with Hartman.

The concept of the album, and its title track, is a reference to Robert Louis Stevenson novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. According to Hartman, it "is an intriguing look at the internal battle between right and wrong. It's about the fighting that goes on inside of us. It's like when Paul said, 'The things I want to do are the things I don't do, and the things I don't want to do are the things that I do.'"[4]

According to Brent Handy, an industry insider that worked with singer John Schlitt on Project Damage Control, "the band thought that Jekyll & Hyde was a make-or-break album".[5]

With Schlitt and Hartman as the only remaining members, Greg Bailey was hired as bassist. Bailey collaborated in the songwriting of one song and recorded background vocals. However, producer Peter Furler, one of Inpop's founders, decided to use session musicians Wade Jaynes and Phil Joel to play bass.

The album also features Furler on drums replacing long-time member Louie Weaver for the recording. However, temporary drummer Justin Johnson is partially featured on the album booklet. He would tour with the band until permanent drummer Paul Simmons was hired.[6]