February '03 Update
As was threatened in last month's "Update," Here's a Jennifer Knapp story.
I kept hearing a song I liked with a swamp/bayou rock sound, featuring a female vocalist. The sound reminded me of Jim Stafford's "Swamp Witch", Tony Joe White's "Poke Salad Annie" and Bobby Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe". I hope I gave enough for you to relate. These were '60s/'70s hits --except for "Swamp Witch," but that one was on the same album as "Spiders and Snakes." Am I dating myself? I tried getting the song/artist earlier, but I didn't have enough information. All I gave the first time was something like, "swamp rock with a female vocalist played some time around 3:30 on [whatever day it was]." I'd been hearing it more lately, so I've been listening for the artist and title. I never could quite catch it, but I'd heard the song enough that I could give more details with the next artist/title request. This time I asked for the artist/title for a swamp-rock song reminiscent of [the above-mentioned songs], sung by a female vocalist who sounded a bit like Jennifer Knapp, if it's not actually her, and part of the lyrics go: "I want to know You better than I do." That seemed to be enough information. I got back: Jennifer Knapp, "Into You" on the Lay It Down album.
I went into my local Hastings bookstore, which has a fairly decent selection of used Christian CDs, and there, under the beams of light from Heaven, accompanied by harp music :) was the Lay It Down CD, just asking for me to buy it. Knowing I was getting the CD for only "Into You", I didn't expect a lot more, since most of Jennifer Knapp's stuff played on AC radio is lots softer and laid back --not my normal listen. I was pleasantly surprised! Lay It Down even had another song I liked: "All Consuming Fire".
Lay It Down showed me that Jennifer Knapp's stuff is not all soft-folk with slurred vocals. It's good relaxing headphone music with enough bite to the instrumentals to keep it interesting. And the more I listen to it, the better it gets --just like a guy at Church told me. The CD gets a strong 4 from me, and "Into You" gets a 5.
I played parts of it for my secularized/alternative-listening (Creed, Soundgarden, Bush, Collective Soul) 20-yr-old son. He sort of rolled his eyes anxiously when I played snippets from the first couple tracks, saying, 'Yeah, I've heard her.' Then "Into You" started and his eyes got big and he smiled, responding with a "Wow!" Jennifer, if you ever get here for a read, there are lots of folks who like your heavier stuff! Keep it up!
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