Customer Reviews

Jennifer Knapp Live

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Edgy, raw, energetic, playful, still, intense, creative, literate, amazing, are a few adjectives that come to mind after a couple of listenings to the new release from Jennifer Knapp, "Live".

Jennifer Knapp was a "rocker chick" sold out to Christ who offered her listening audience amazingly literate, poetic lyrics and folk-rock, guitar driven music which she delivers with emotion and grit in this "Live" release.

Mark Lee Townsend (guitarist/producer) has this to say in the liner notes of the CD:

"I'll never forget Jen at the press conference sitting there after Sheryl Crow made some comment on the Reverend Falwell and then a reporter asks Jen if she was taking heat for being at the festival (Lilith Fair). She simply said that every artist there was asked to play and share their beliefs through their music, so why should she be any different, even if she sang about Christ. It was a simple and poignant statement that hit home with everyone there, myself included."

This "Live" CD came to be in a rather unique way as Townsend explains that he was himself in the process of moving from being a guitarist to producing during the spring of 2001. During the "Back Forty Tour" Knapp headlined that spring, Townsend recorded a handful of shows with the intention of mixing in his studio for the band members as a memento. After the tour ended and he returned home, he had left the tapes behind with the thought that he'd catch up to them later. However, when he returned, the tapes were missing. It was no great loss because they were only intended for private use so nothing much was made of it.

In the fall of 2005, as God would have it, the tapes were found buried under cartons of t-shirts in a storage facility. Townsend then went through the tapes, picked the tunes out that he thought best represented that tour and fans of Jennifer Knapp can now enjoy the energy, enthusiasm for God, and gritty music of "rocker chick" Jennifer Knapp.

This reviewer was blessed to see Jennifer Knapp perform as co-headliner with Jars of Clay later that year, in the fall of 2001, so hearing this CD brings to mind those moments of excitement and zeal for God that is amplified through the music Knapp wrote and performed so well. I also was able to meet her and talk with her, and that is a moment I won't ever forget.

The CD contains all the radio hits and fan favorites: "Romans","Lay it Down", "Whole Again", "When Nothing Satisfies", "Usher Me Down", "The Way I Am", "His Grace is Sufficient", "Martyrs and Thieves", "Fall Down", "Refine Me", "A Little More", "Into You", "Undo Me".

The songs on these CDs were not taken back and worked up in the studio. What you hear is what was played at the show. Sometimes things are a little "off", little intonation problems most likely only noticeable to a trained ear, and at times you can hear that Knapp is a little out of breath, but this is LIVE music...warts and all! I like it! You get to hear her work the crowd and their response to her performance is enthusiastic and even in venues that had thousands in attendance, the songs like "Refine Me" could quiet them in prayerful reverence. This CD really takes you there, to that place, to that time, to that moment.

Another thing I do like about the production of this CD is that these tunes are snatched from recordings of a number of different shows and dates, yet they are woven together in such a way that there is consistency and it is almost as though what you are hearing is all from the same show, and you are there. The segue between tracks is smooth and hardly noticeable.

A favorite for me is "Undo Me" because the band added something new and creative to the beginning and end of this song. It is a psychedelic, blues-rock vamp, heavy with lead guitar that Knapp improvises verses of "Undo Me" over. "I messed up again" is what she cries out in desperation, in a Janis Joplin style. It is heart-wrenching, literally.

When Jennifer Knapp walked off the stage at her last performance years ago, she left a gaping hole in the hearts of her fans and in Christian Music in general. Fortunately, her music is her legacy and for now, we are all still able to enjoy it. I can't deny that this "Live" album has stirred up more curiousity in me as to where she is, and what is she doing. Fans have been praying for her, praying she is living in God's Grace, because "His Grace is Sufficient" with the hope that someday we will hear a new melody, a new verse from this talented "rocker chick". I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to see her perform live in 2001 and got to meet her face to face to tell her "you rock!".

Currently Knapp is still signed with Gotee Records and is officially on sabbatical.

Jennifer Knapp seems to have disappeared from the music scene, but while her fans wait expectantly for her possible return, Gotee Records has put together this solid live CD from her first, and so far only, headlining tour in 2001.

It successfully captures the energy between Knapp and her bandmates, and while there are no new songs on the CD, the interplay between the band keeps each song fresh. Jennifer's vocal abilities translate well in a live setting, which is a feat that many recording artists can't lay claim to, and the band that was put together for this tour is a relaxed and talented group of folks.

Some artists don't have the ability to pull off a live album, but this is one of the better live albums that I've had the privilege of listening to. The album notes claim that no overdubs were recorded for this release, which usually means that there were no glaring mistakes. It makes for a raw but still excellent performance, with Jennifer and the band leaving nothing on the table.

This CD may be the closest to a new release that we ever get from Ms. Knapp, but it is well worth the price. For ten bucks, you still get an hour's worth of music, so this is no EP. I highly recommend it, although I continue to hope that her career is not over yet, and that she will grace her fans with some new material in the not-too-distant future.

When I first heard about this CD I thought that Jennifer might be on her way back. After reading the material in the booklet that comes with the CD it became clear Jennifer might not be coming back. So while this CD is great I can't help feeling sad everytime I listen to it. Jennifer is one of the best female singers of all time and the thought that she would quit only after three albums just sucks.

Romans, the first song on the CD, is fantastic. I can't but help and smile when I hear it. Two other stand out songs are Martyrs and Thieves & Fall Down.

I would recommend this and any of Jennifer's past CDs the anyone. She is just that good. I pray that her relationship with Chirst is okay and that she is alright. I hope the rest of fans would do the same instead of gossiping on her whereabouts and spreading rumors. Whatever the case may be Jennifer Knapp is one of the most memorable singers of all time... buy this CD, not to support Gotee Records but to have a CD to compare the rest of the singing world to... she sets the standard high.

If you have listened to Jennifer Knapp at any point in the past 7-8 years you won't need much encouraging to purchase this Live CD.

This is a suberb collection of live songs from her "Back 40 Tour" from 2001.

The thing I love most about live versions of songs is in most cases it is very hard to duplicate the "studio" experience on the road.

In many cases that means no strings, more acoustic and you get true sense of who an artist is.

That is certainly the case here. Hop out to www.jenniferknapp.com and read a summary about each song written by Mark Lee Townsend. Mark was the guitar player for Jen's band on the Back 40 Tour.

The band did some fun things on this tour and it comes through on these live version of Jen's songs.

If you haven't listened to Jen's stuff check out her other CDs (Wishing Well, Kansas, Lay It Down, The Way I Am, 8 Great Hits and The Collection)

Jen is currently on an extended leave from the CCM music scene. Only Jen knows if she will ever return.

Until then "Live" helps ease the pain of her being gone a little bit.

If you love Jen, buy this CD. If you've never heard of Jen, buy this CD.

Enjoy!

If you are a true Jennifer Knapp fan...you will not be disappointed with this Live Set. There are few female artists in the mainstream secular genre that can rival Knapp in her artist talent, composing & lyricism. She's an outstanding musician and this album is no exception! Her preformance in "Undo Me" and "A Little More" is superb. Definately a CD that true Jennifer fans will want in their library. Her guitar solos in this album are unreal! Eat your heart out Sheryl Crow...you can't hold a candle to this one!

I just recently discovered Jennifer Knapp after rededicating my life to Christ this year after about ten years away. Apparently, this happened about five years after Knapp's indefinite hiatus. I was looking for some good Christian music and came across a "WOW" album that had Undo Me on it. I was blown away. I love the acoustic guitar. Knapp's voice and the song in general blew me away. I bought the Live album almost immediately and haven't put it down since. I've listed to the studio cuts of these songs also. The live version of the songs are way better, except for Undo Me - in my opinion. Knapp was free to let her voice and her band go instead of making safe studio cuts. It shows in each song. Standouts on this album are "Whole Again," "Martyrs and Thieves" and "A Little More."

If you're new to Jennifer Knapp...personally, I'd start here.

Jennifer Knapp Live isn't the perfect live CD. It could've been longer, Jennifer could've experimented more during the songs, and it would've been nice if she would've played more obscure songs, or at least either an unreleased track or a cover. But with her sticking to her guns (minus The Way I Am), the recording does sound phenominal.

Throughout the duration of the CD if there wasn't crowd noise you'd never guess that this was a live disc. Jennifer only sounds winded once, during the last song, Undo Me, and even that doesn't sound bad at all. The talking she does with the crowd isn't excessive, and it's not bare minimum, it's just right. The band sounds really good as well, particularly when Jennifer's introducing them and letting them show off a little. Crowd participation in the songs isn't much, Jennifer has them sing a little in His Grace Is Sufficient, but other than that don't expect any.

The song choice could've been better, she pretty much just played her A Diamond In The Rough: The Jennifer Knapp Collection CD. Starting with Romans wasn't a good idea, I would've loved to have heard the version of The Way I Am they play on here first. Other than that I don't have a big problem with the song order. When Nothing Satisfies probably could've been played a little better, and even The Way I Am could've. But the latter is the most impressive song featured. It's acoustic through about 2/3 of the song then it jumps back to the CD version. I think the jump to the CD version could've been more prominent than it was, but it's live, it can't be perfect.

My favorite songs are Whole Again, When Nothing Satisfies, The Way I Am, Martyrs & Thieves, and Undo Me. Like everyone seems to be pointing out, hopefully this is just a little something to tide us over until Jennifer decides to release a CD full of new material, so with that in mind, this is well worth the money.

Jennifer's music is inspired and wonderful. I don't think the live version is as good as the studio version, but it's still wonderful. I was actually present at one of the songs recorded on this CD.
Great Christian rock.

Amazing, the graceless hypocrisy of some with apparently WAY too much time on their hands, time that could be put to POSITIVE use. ;) Hey Amazon ... why allow posts that have nothing to do with the merits of the art and artist at hand ??

I caught Refine Me while listening to Pandora. beautifully written, heartfelt transparent prayer. It was enough for me to buy the entire CD...