Pray

There's a beauty to the rawness of Rebecca St. James. While her contemporaries in the Christian market ply their formulaic-sounding wares, St. James continues to go where few artists, if any, have gone before. On Pray, her fourth album, the young Australian singer meshes Euro-industrial with charismatic Christian for a mind-bending (if not soul-bending) experience. Producer Tedd T. offers the right blend of programming, melodic rock, and St. James's powerful vocals on the opening title track as well as the brilliant "Come Quickly Lord" and "Peace." While the covers of Rich Mullins's "Hold Me Jesus" and Keith Green's "Lord You're Beautiful" provide new treatments to old standards, it is the numbers penned by St. James and Tedd T. that stand out. Don't miss the haunting final number, "Omega," or the mystery track beyond. --Michael Lyttle

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