Lay It Down

Amazon.com Wow. Twenty-six-year-old Jennifer Knapp has done far more than rest on her laurels for her much-anticipated follow-up to 1998's Kansas--the record is a subtle, yet stellar, leap forward. The songs have pop hooks that stick in your brain for hours; the music is tightly woven and expert, yet rarely too slick. Expertly produced by pal Toby McKeehan, layers of complimentary, warm sound surround Knapp's folk-bluesy, expressive voice like the foam atop a perfect latte. The lyrics are introspective and spiritual but they have this real-life quality to them, and that is her true gift. One has to struggle not to identify with Knapp when she sings, on "A Little More," of the struggle to live a Christian life: "A little more than I can give / A little more than I deserve / Unearth this holiness I can't earn." The only justifiable quibble is that, at 36 minutes, Lay It Down is way too short. --Mike McGonigal Product description Duran Duran ~ Lay It Down Review Lay It Down raises the bar artistically over her well-received 1997 Gotee debut, Kansas, while maintaining a vital connection to what worked for her the first time. Sonically, Knapp's influences suggest some of the strongest female singer/songwriters-the rock vitality of Melissa Etheridge, the robust vocal style of Sheryl Crow and the down-home mandolin folk of Indigo Girls. Lay It Down suggests a rise in confidence in her abilities as a singer/songwriter. From images of sin as a "rock in my pocket" to the graceful "handprint of God on the small of my back," Knapp describes on the title track in a meaningful way. But as in any emerging state, there is awkwardness. On "Usher Me Down" I miss the honest, earthy poetic language that would otherwise communicate to the un-churched person what she means by a line like "My Wall, my Mighty Tower, be my Shadow come over me 'till all my enemies cower jealous of my King" on "You Remain." Short of Knapp asking, "Does nothing satisfy you?" Lay It Down suggests that Jennifer Knapp is striving to find those important connections; This is a strong step toward the truly great album we know she has in her.-Brian Q. Newcomb -- From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now!
ASIN: B00004L8DB
VSKU: DBV.B00004L8DB.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Knapp, Jennifer
Binding: Audio cd