Sounds like … St. James' familiar modern pop sound in a live worship setting—imagine Darlene Zschech if she rocked out more.
At a glance … Although somewhat brief and released a little too soon after Worship God, St. James' new offering demonstrates a solid live rock sound with effective worship leading.
In many ways, Rebecca St. James is more popular than ever—nearly 2.5 million albums sold, a relentless touring schedule, participation in the highly publicized !Hero rock opera album and tour, numerous media appearances, and enduring popularity among fans, not to mention a new book to be released in fall 2004. All pretty remarkable considering she hasn't released an album of all-new, original material for close to four years.
Which is why I approached this new recording with some skepticism. Despite the success of 2002's Worship God, I wasn't overwhelmed with its predictable pop approach to modern worship. Now two years after that album's release, we have Live Worship: Blessed Be Your Name, which mostly consists of the same songs in a live setting. For that matter, it's marketed as a nine-track EP, not a full-length album. Is it really worth getting excited over a shortened revisit of St. James' last studio project? You might be as surprised as I was.
For starters, though it's only nine songs, Live Worship runs 40 minutes—longer than a number of full lengths, yet still reasonably priced at $9 or less. It comes in response to fans' requests for a live worship album. (I also suggested a live album would be an improvement in my review of Worship God.) Studio worship albums are fine if you present original songs or innovative arrangements; if not, the artist can come off sounding like a cover band. A live worship album, however, benefits from the additional energy of the band and an enthusiastic audience, while also demonstrating the worship leader's ability to, well, lead....
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