The CD sleeve declares that "12 of Christian music's most-beloved artists" have been granted an '8 Great Hits' release and Jennifer Knapp is one, alongside bigger names such Newsboys, dc Talk and Steven Curtis Chapman. Each has had some of their most popular songs rather blandly repackaged at a low price to attract new listeners. Jennifer is an odd choice for this perhaps, as she released just four, albeit critically-acclaimed, albums ('Kansas', 'Lay It Down', 'The Way I Am' and the 'A Diamond In The Rough' compilation) for Gotee Records between 1997 and 2003, before unexpectedly announcing her retirement from music at the end of last year. This not-quite-a-greatest-hits collection, then, shows Knapp to be an accomplished artist, deserving of the plaudits and underground success which accompanied her brief career, pitched somewhere between the darker sides of Sheryl Crow and Anastasia. I'm sure '8 Great Hits' is not as definitive an overview of the Knapp songbook as 'A Diamond In The Rough' but will serve as a decent enough introduction for prospective (younger) fans who think that Avril Lavigne and co are the only ones who can do melancholy.
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