"Grace/ It's the name for a girl/ It's also a thought that/ Changed the world," sings Bono on U2's album All That You Can't Leave Behind. As usual, the man is correct. Grace has- and still does- change the world, in both obvious and subtle ways. This may not be something you've thought about much, but the topic of grace is nothing new to Jennifer Knapp.
On both her critically acclaimed debut album Kansas and 2000's Grammy nominated Lay it Down, Knapp wrestled with the topic of grace. Now, on her third album, The Way I Am, Knapp brings her fixation on grace to a dramatic, climactic point. Yes, though it may be hard to believe, Jennifer Knapp's songwriting on The Way I Am is more emotional, poetic and dark than ever before. The lyrics on The Way I Am are better than previous Knapp songs in every way. She has always been known for her honest songs, but even the honesty level goes up several notches on her new record. Transparent songs like "Breathe on Me", "In Two" and the title track should ring true with all of her listeners.
Musically, The Way I Am boasts the boldest, fullest production on a Knapp record to date, thanks to producer Tony McAnany (Madonna, Missy Elliot) and an all-star ensemble of musicians, including Jeremy Lubbock (Michael Jackson and Madonna) and the London Symphony Orchestra providing some intricate string arrangements, Tony Levin (Paul Simon, Kevin Max and Peter Gabriel) on bass and Vinnie Colaiuta, who has recorded with Sting, on drums. For the most part, the folk/pop sound of previous Knapp projects is gone. On The Way I Am, Jennifer and her band rock hard on some songs, such as the soaring "By and By", and at other times sounds more like 80's/early 90's pop, such as on the gentle "Say Won't You Say".
A few of Jennifer Knapp's older fans may not appreciate her slight shift in sound very much, and none of the songs on The Way I Am seem likely to end up being huge hits, like "Undo Me" or "A Little More". Still, The Way I Am should appeal to fans of intelligent, passionate rock, and Knapp's distinct vocals are, if anything, stronger on the new album, helping to make The Way I Am a personal favorite CD, already, one of the best albums of the year 2001, and certainly Knapp's best record to date.
Josh's Score: 4.5/5
Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2001Reviewed by Timothy Paul YenterJennifer 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…The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by David MartinThere's always been something refreshingly simple about Jennifer Knapp's music. The gritty folk/rock songstress has been winning people over for four years with gritty, scripture-inflected songs such as "Undo Me", "Whole Again", "A Little More", and "Into You". Even though her last album, Lay It Down was much more stripped down and acoustic than the runaway success of Kansas, it still resonated…The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by AmberJennifer Knapp. She amazed us with Kansas and the ever popular song "Undo Me." Then she put out Lay it Down and once again wowed us with her awesome writing skills and crisp guitar playing. And now she throws us her 3rd project, The Way I am, which only adds to the list. The cd starts out with "By and By" which is an awesome acoustic rockish track. Personally it's one of my favorites because of…Similar sounding releases
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