''Kansas'' is the first major label studio album by Christian

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

musician

Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock and contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter, author, and LGBTQ advocate. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her Gold-certified debut studio ...

. It was released in 1998 on

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label of Christian hip-hop, based in Franklin, Tennessee in the United States. History The label was founded in 1994 by TobyMac, Todd Collins and Joey Elwood. The first album produced is Out of Eden's '' Lovin' th ...

. The album went on to sell 500,000 copies in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, and was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. On February 26, 2008, an expanded 10th Anniversary Gold Edition of ''Kansas'' was released, which included five live tracks, a song ("Jesus Loves Me") from Knapp's 1996 independent album, with "Undo Me" and "Whole Again" remastered.

Critical reception

Ashleigh Kittle of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

writes, "''Kansas'', the first

release from singer/songwriter Jennifer Knapp, is an album rarely paralleled in the gospel genre. The edgy yet vulnerable folk-rock and alternative CCM mix serve to create a guitar-driven, almost gritty sound, resulting in comparisons between Knapp and fellow Lilith Fair performers

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

and Melissa Etheridge." Peter Bate of ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. His ...

'' gives the original release 9 out of a possible 10 and writes, "one listen through ''Kansas'', which highlights the exceptional talents of the young singer/songwriter, stopped me in my tracks. As well as possessing an achingly expressive voice, Jennifer's poetic lyrics have a heart-stopping intensity and depth." Sarah Fine of ''Jesus Freak Hideout'' gives the album 4½ out of a possible 5 stars and writes, "It is no accident that this album was named one of the best." and concludes her review with, "It offers a message that was not only relevant 10 years ago, but a message that is still very much relevant today and tomorrow as well." Ato Erzan-Essien of ''

'' reviews the 10th Anniversary Gold Edition of ''Kansas'' and gives it 10 out of a possible 10 while saying, "The 10 years that have passed since the original album's release have been kind, and the strong songwriting and simple instrumentation have not dated."

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1998 debut albums Jennifer Knapp albums Gotee Records albums Word Records albums