Rebecca St. James - If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something

Sounds like … a sometimes-edgier blend of St. James' modern pop/rock sound, resembling Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Evanescence, Plumb, and BarlowGirl.

At a glance … it's been a long five years since her Transform album, yet despite a few derivative tracks, Rebecca St. James proves she hasn't lost her touch, thanks to a newfound rock edge and lyrical openness.

"I have let the cold creep in and lock my ability to feel … I'm running out of time to live/Running out of love to give/Running out of life within/God help me." Whoa, are these lyrics (from "God Help Me") by the same perpetually cheerful and hopeful Rebecca St. James that Christian music fans have come to love since 1994?

Indeed, they come from a young woman who has wrestled with burnout and personal fears since 2000's Transform, which is partly why it's taken five years for her to release an album of new material. She's been plenty busy with relentless touring, participation in !Hero: The Rock Opera, writing a string of books, and releasing the best-selling Worship God. Nevertheless, St. James the songwriter has been absent too long, but fortunately, If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something proves that she hasn't lost her touch.

"God Help Me" starts the album and remains one of the most impressive because it clearly demonstrates her new songwriting approach. Dark, intense, and above all, honest, it's a prayer of vulnerability that stems from brokenness. St. James has gradually come to understand that Christian music doesn't always have to offer the answers—sometimes, it's more effective to simply be relatable, since these feelings are universal to Christians and non-Christians alike. Moreover, it's one of her most rocking songs ever, similar to Evanescence, early Plumb, or Alanis Morissette.

The answer to St. James' wordy album title is "You Are Loved," a catchy tune with a Brit-pop flavor and a terrific sampled-string hook. Written while thinking about a childhood friend who has fallen away from God, it's a simple and sincere letter that shares God's love with any heart that's grown cold. The strong rocker "Beautiful Stranger" is inspired by St. James' work with Compassion International, expanding on the idea of serving Christ through "the least of these." Heavier guitars also elevate "Shadowlands," which draws its title from C. S. Lewis and is a typically good ballad expressing faith through the dark valleys of life....

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Rebecca St. James - Worship God

Sounds like … Rebecca tackles seven of her favorite modern worship songs (and a few originals) with her trademark alternative pop/rock sound.

At a Glance … not a particularly creative worship project, but the album production and Rebecca's vocals make Worship God an enjoyable listen.

The latest album from Rebecca St. James, Worship God, is something of a milestone for her career. For starters, it's her first album title to exceed one word since her 1994 self-titled U.S. debut. One could also consider it a milestone since Rebecca has been making music now for a little more than ten years (she released Refresh My Heart in her native Australia at the age of 13). In that sense, Worship God is Rebecca's way of exploring her musical influences and inspirations, in this case praise and worship music. Seven of the album's twelve tracks are covers of her favorite worship songs over the years, with four original worship songs written for this album. There's also a remix of her 1998 song "Omega," which originally appeared on the worship album Listen Louder a few years ago. If you're familiar with Rebecca's alternative pop/rock style and can imagine her adapting well-known modern worship songs to it, you know exactly what to expect of Worship God. This is both the album's greatest strength and weakness.

On the one hand, Rebecca's so good at what she does, you can't help but like her versions of these songs. Reunited with producer Matt Bronlewee from her Transform album, Rebecca continues with the formula that's worked so well for her since her 1996 God album — ethereal pop, edgy guitars, programmed effects, lush strings, drum loops, and of course Rebecca's beautiful and passionate vocals. These elements all are used effectively on "Let My Words Be Few," which is different enough from Matt Redman's sparsely arranged original for Rebecca to call it her own. Similarly, Rebecca adds her artistic imprint to Jeremy Casella's "More Than a Watchman" and the classic hymn "It Is Well With My Soul," which she appropriately enough recorded on September 11, 2001 in response to the tragedy. I suppose these two tracks stand out because "More Than a Watchman" isn't as well-known a worship song, and the adaptation of an old hymn to a modern pop sound is always interesting since there's more room for artistic interpretation.....

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Transform

Let's start with the adjectives: energetic, powerful, creative, refreshing, excellent. That pretty much captures the essence of "Transform," the latest and--yes--greatest from Rebecca St. James, who never ceases to amaze. With more songwriting input than ever before, this blessed young Aussie gathers sounds from today's pop world and meshes them together oh-so-well. It would have been easy for RSJ to build on the groove that was established with her previous Grammy-winning release, Pray, but she's never one to sit still. And she playfully reminds us, in the Euro-disco sounding "Reborn," singing, "if you see a change in me and wonder." The riveting rocker "All Around Me" takes a page or two from the Garbage catalog, yet RSJ gives enough mojo to make it her own. The powerfully majestic "Stand" is another tour de force for RSJ, who showcases her mighty vocal talents in this pop masterpiece. Producers Matt Bronlewee and Dan Huff also should be commended for blending a lot of energy into a tightly focused and great-sounding release. --Michael Lyttle

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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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Christmas

Rebecca St. James' Christmas is an enchanting holiday record, highlighting not only her faith, but also her remarkable vocal skills. The album is divided between traditional songs and new material, and while some of the newer material is a little weak, St. James sounds terrific, no matter what song she is singing. ~ Rodney Batdorf, All Music Guide

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God

Few have burst onto the Christian music scene with such raw honesty and edgy appeal as Rebecca St. James. With 1996's God, this young Australian went from unknown to spokesperson for a generation. The title track, along with the irresistible "Me Without You" and "Go and Sin No More," were all CCM No. 1 hits. And rightfully so! The title track uniquely alternates a pastoral melody with acoustic guitar and flute while St. James belts out the chorus with urgency and desire. Musically, the rest features moody atmospherics, hook-laden guitar riffs, and St. James's nontraditional yet strong vocals. An artist worth paying attention to, St. James could easily take her place among the Lilith Fair crowd with little apology for her message. --Michael Lyttle

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Rebecca St. James

This self-titled 1994 release introduced a then-17-year-old St. James to the world. What's so interesting about this album is just how uninteresting it really is. Listen to later releases God
and Pray, and you'll wonder if this is even the same artist. Then again, this sure beats Debbie Gibson or Tiffany at 17. Clearly, songs like "Here I Am," "Way Up Here," and "Above All
Things" are driven by the clean, slick production of Christian master-producer Brown Bannister. If nothing else, this album sounds like a young St. James being groomed as the next Amy
Grant. Listen to the chorus to "Way Up Here" and ask yourself whether it doesn't sound like Grant's "I Have Decided." No matter--we all have to start somewhere. --Michael Lyttle

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