Reviewed by John Baugh

The history of this collection is important in understanding why in 2006 we are listening to Jennifer Knapp as she was in 2001. It is a long story starting with a decision by guitarist/producer Mark Lee Townsend to record some of the nights during her first headlining tour in 2001 to make a souvenir collection for all those involved. At the end of the tour the tapes disappeared for four long years before coming to light. On listening they were proved to be good enough not only for their intended purpose but also for general release, hence this CD. A laudable decision was made to leave them pretty well alone to give a real feeling of what it was like on the nights in question. The other thing about the live shows was that they were not just carbon copies of the two released albums ('Kansas' and 'Lay it Down') and the works in progress for 'The Way I Am'. The CD captures Jennifer and band in full flow revealing the freshness and honesty in her songs that led to her speedy rise. Some of the on stage comments are also interesting with Jennifer sounding quite surprised by the success she was enjoying. It's these little extras that make it all the more interesting for those of us who are still hopeful of hearing something new from Jennifer one day.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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