After bursting on to the late nineties CCM scene with her critically lauded and 600,000 plus selling debut album ‘Kansas’, Jennifer Knapp had a lot to live up to with her sophomore effort. It is hardly surprising therefore that ‘Lay It Down’ often gets bumped from thought, if not forgotten altogether. And when discussed, it's frequently dubbed "not as good as Kansas" and "not as exciting as ‘The Way I Am’ her third and most sonically charged album of her ‘Christian trio’.

Regardless of these comments, ‘Lay it Down’ is an album that showcases the true meaning of Christian folk rock music and contains some of Knapp's best songwriting. 

Good music involves peaks and valleys, taking the listener to the mountaintop one minute and back down to the valley the next. Emotionally and dynamically Jennifer Knapp somehow manages to do just that on this record.

On this disc Knapp shows the kind of artistic growth expected from a seasoned veteran. One minute it's Carole King in a coffee shop courtesy of "A Little More," the next you're tapping your toe to a snappy Sheryl Crow vibe on "Lay It Down." 

Rich in texture and vocally passionate, complemented by deep biblical lyrics ‘Lay It Down’ offers the listener an exciting musical journey through the Psalms. Is it any wonder then that the album was nominated for "Best Rock Gospel Album" at the 43rd Grammy Awards of 2001.