Jennifer Knapp - The Collection (2003)

This is Jennifer Knapp's fourth cd (not counting the independent release Wishing Well) and this is a 2 disc Greatest Hits album. What is different about this album, compared to other Greatest Hits albums is that it is not just a collection of her singles. Rather, the fans were able to go online and vote for the songs they wanted on the album. The top 15 vote getting songs made it onto the first disc. So, we have some singles like "A Little More", "Undo Me" and "Breathe on Me", but we also have favorite album cuts that would never make a typical Greatest Hits album: "Martyrs and Thieves", "Refine Me", and "When Nothing Satisfies". As much as I love the singles that Jennifer Knapp has released, my favorite songs are usually the album tracks. In particular, "Martyrs and Thieves" and "When Nothing Satisfies" are two of my favorite songs and I'm very happy that both made onto this album (I voted for both of those songs).
The second disc is a collection of demos, b-sides, and a couple of songs that were on other albums. "Sing Alleluia" and "Hallowed" were on the City on a Hill album. "It Is Well With My Soul" was on the Audio Adrenaline album, Underdog. "Believe" was on an album by Grits. "Return to Me" and "Sing Out in Joy" were never released before. "Nothing is Impossible" was on Knapp's independent release Wishing Well, but never quite made it to any of the studio releases. The other tracks are demos from the recording sessions of Jennifer's three albums.
To put it simply, I love this album. Jennifer Knapp has long been my favorite musician and the opportunity to have a Greatest Hits album that also has some of the b-sides and non-album tracks is too much to pass up. But this package doesn't stop there. Gotee Records asked the fans voting for the songs to also submit a testimony for a song telling what the song has meant to them. Instead of reprinting the lyrics that are included in the other three albums, these personal testimonies would be included as the liner notes. Maybe I'm biased because I have one of the song testimonies for "Martyrs and Thieves", but I thought that was a fantastic idea. It gives the fans an opportunity to write back about how much Jennifer's music has meant in their lives. As a fan of Jennifer Knapp's music, I would definitely recommend getting this album (even if you've never heard her before). You'll get a sample of what her fans think are her best songs, and will also get a bonus disc filled with demos and rarities. Highly recommended.