Letting Go

iTunes Review

Jennifer Knapp’s first album in seven years both extends and departs from her earlier work. Letting Go appears in the wake of the acclaimed Christian singer/songwriter’s decision to come out as a lesbian, and there is a revelatory quality to these songs, etched in visceral language and urgent, guitar-driven melodies. Songs like “Inside,” “Dive In” and the title track find Knapp applying her full-throated vocals to life-affirming lyrics. In many ways, Letting Go is about self-acceptance and personal renewal, whether in terms of relationships (“Fallen”) or social identity (“Better Off”). Paul Moak’s production especially shines on the more subdued numbers, such as the gently rolling “Mr. Gray” and the warmly atmospheric “On Love.” Knapp comes across as vulnerable yet confident in these tracks, daring to be tender as well as defiant. A creative breakthrough on several fronts, Letting Go is an album of bracing folk-rock and disarming balladry, offered by an artist eager to have her say at last.