Album Reviews

Jennifer Knapp, one of the brightest stars in the array of Christian musicians, has set a new standard for herself with The Way I Am, her third album. Knapp has remarkable talent as a singer and a songwriter, and this may be the clearest demonstration of her talent to produce the sincere language and painful sounds of humility, courage, hope, and repentance. The careful listener will find her music wonderfully paradoxical: subtle statements that are collectively overwhelming; a voice that carries power and frailty in the same round note; lyrics that beautifully articulate complex emotions in minimal language.

This is her most mature work, lyrically and musically. Her choice of words on this album demonstrates a deepening poetic sensibility (consider the phrase "in laurels of glory" and hear the inner connection of the soft consonants and lingering vowels). The production on this album is a leap beyond her previous work; it is far richer and deeper than the acoustic folk and guitar-rock of her earlier albums, relying heavily on stringed accompaniment and more complex arrangements. The risk is a mixed success. 'Light of the World' and 'No Regrets' are overworked, and obscure rather than uphold the beautiful melodies and simple lyrics of the songs. But the gamble's pay-off is the incredible stretch of songs on the middle of the album--'Come to Me,' 'Charity,' 'Fall Down,' 'Sing Mary Sing,' and 'In Two (The Lament)' --which makes this album one of the best the year.

'Charity,' my early pick for the best song on the album, most clearly demonstrates the success of combining rich orchestral arrangements with Knapp's uncannily simple melody and delicate word choice. 'In Two (The Lament)' shows Knapp's increasing thematic breadth, mulling over a broken relationship. 'The Way I Am' brings together the theme of all of Knapp's work (the humble opening of oneself to the work of sanctifying grace) with the theme of this album (the incongruity of being a person full of sin, weakness, and the power to destroy and a person who is also a redeemed child of God). As she pithily muses in 'Breathe on Me,' "who am I to be fallen?"

Jennifer Knapp fans--and if you aren't one, you probably know someone who is--should love this album as much or more than her previous albums. Those teenage girls across the nation who have spent hours in their bedrooms learning chords from Internet tab sheets and modeling their voices on Knapp's characteristically folksy sound should find that 'Come to Me' and 'Sing Mary Sing' will be nice additions to their amateur-night-at-the-local-coffeehouse set list. The more eclectic of us should find that The Way I Am is a wonderful addition to our collections--if it ever leaves the CD player.

                                                 ~Tim Y.

  Jennifer Knapp's noble career has come a long way in the three years since she won the Dove Award as the "Best New Artist." The Los Angeles Times recently called her "a rising star"; People Magazine has described her as "an uncommonly literate songwriter"; and Billboard proclaimed that "Knapp proves herself to be the cream that rises to the top." With her new album, The Way I Am, Jennifer offers an undeniable reminder that musically gifted believers who create with an attitude of humility and excellence will have a profound impact beyond the walls of the church.

This Kansas-born singer-songwriter has quickly sold over 850,000 copies of her first two labels releases, 1997's Kansas and 2000's Lay It Down. Her debut is now certified Gold with over half a million sold. Coupled with extensive touring, Jennifer proved herself as a folk-inspired rock artist whose masterful stroke paints redemptive portraits of life's bumpy road. Song after song, she empties her soul through catchy poetic lyrics that utter the precise words so many hearts have long struggled to find. Now with her third label release, The Way I Am, Jennifer returns with arguably her most stirring collection of songs.

"As a songwriter, I've learned it's best to be yourself," says Jennifer. "Rather than focusing on trying to influence, tell and preserve the story and allow the listener to share a moment wit you. I feel that I accomplished this with the most purpose on my new album."

Jennifer recorded The Way I Am at New York City's The Power Station, the historic studio that birthed landmark albums by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton. Jennifer's perspective on songwriting and the sheer honesty of her music lead to an impressive collection of contributors within the studio's hallowed halls. Taking the production helm was Tony McAnany (Madonna, Missy Elliott, Sinead O'Connor.) He and Jennifer led a host of all-star players that included strings maestro Jeremy Lubbock (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbra Streisand), drummer Vinnie Cauliuta (Sting, Frank Zappa), bassist Tony Levin (Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Paula Cole), Programming whiz David Hentschel (Elton John, Genesis), and guitarist Nick Moroch (Vanessa Williams, David Sanborn, The BeeGees).

From the London Symphony Orchestra to the profoundly intimate percussion, The Way I am features the most realized, full-sounding backdrop for Jennifer's lyrical impressions. The musical dynamics draw out the emotion and passion, especially with the compelling spiritual themes that run through her songs. In fact, the struggles an inner-conflicts addressed in her music are often expressed in the form of confessional prayers.

With The Way I Am, Jennifer continues the spiritual dialogue by writing about the aspects of her faith that she doesn't quite understand. Songs like "By and By" and "Come To Me" find balance between struggling for deeper understanding yet remaining content not knowing the mysteries of life. "Opening the album with 'By and By' makes sense," says Jennifer, "because it begins the search for grace." Likewise, "Say Won't You Say" and "No Regrets" accept the challenge to find rest in the confusing blur of the daily grind.

"Breathe o Me," which appropriately serves as the album's lead single, proved to be the initial creative seed in the making of the record. "'Breathe on Me' was the catalyst for the whole idea of being impelled by the cross," explains Jennifer. "I was trying to literally paint a picture about the process of visualizing the cross and the value that it has for those who know its meaning." Without wavering, each song on The Way I Am comes across as a biographical snapshot that addresses the deeper issues of hope, love, loss and forgiveness in a context that offers grace and peace.

Jennifer exemplifies how hook-laden edgy pop music can still have the depth to inspire both the ear and the soul. The Way I Am is an album of substance and style, and heading into 2002, Jennifer appears destined to connect her songs with a world hungry for that "something more" that her music delivers. Rich in goodness, truth and beauty, The Way I Am is as an uncontrived act of worship.

                                                        ~1cubed.com

Jennifer Knapp (homepage)