Rebecca St. James

Item: God
Author: Brendt W. Waters

God

(1996)

Reviewed by Brendt W. Waters

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Label ForeFront RecordsThe LighthouseFebruary 1997

alternative rock ccm pop rock

OK, so you're 18, you've taken the first steps toward establishing your career in Christian music, and your vision is taking shape. You see other teens out there looking for something, anything-maybe some encouragement that they're not alone in their walk, maybe just someone they can identify with. You've got one shot to grab their attention, one shot to give them an alternative to the angst-ridden, narcissistic tripe that clamors around them. So you whip up 10 of the hottest polka tunes you can find, and....

No, wait a minute, that's not right.

As David Letterman says, "Well, kids, do you like the rock-n-roll?" The answer, of course, is a resounding "yes," and Rebecca St. James responds with a solid mix of alterna-pop, modern rock, and ballads that should appeal to a good part of her generation. This response comes in the form of her second album, simply titled God.

The title cut opens the album, with fairly quiet verses that explode into a driving chorus with St. James' impassioned vocals proclaiming the incomprehensibility of God's creation, mercy, grace, and love:

It's God, truly God Can you see, can you hear, can you touch, can you feel? It's God, truly God I can't explain any other way, 'cause it's God

With this chorus, St. James shows that she's up to the challenge of this musical re-invention. The same voice that lilted through ballads and bounced through pop songs on her first album is also capable of belting rocking tunes or sliding silkily through a musically moody passage. A good example is in the verses of the second cut, "You're The Voice," which offers a call to make a stand for what we believe. Lest we think the previous tune was a fluke, the chorus of this tune returns to grungy rocking instrumentation and vocals similar to those found in the title cut.

After "You Then Me," a pop/rock lesson in overcoming selfishness, the album slows down for the first time with "Speak To Me." Reflecting young Samuel's prayer, this acoustic ballad slowly builds to anthemic proportions, then closes by pulling back to its original musical theme. Next up is "Abba (Father)," a bright prayer of praise for God's provision and love. In "Me Without You," St. James empties a vault full of metaphors over a pop/rock melody, describing her life without God's presence.

The ballad "That's What Matters" explores the emptiness of all the various pursuits of the author of Ecclesiastes, concluding in the chorus:

Fear God and do exactly what He says That's what matters All else fades like the flowers

St. James' voice glides over a bouncy rhythm that runs throughout "Carry Me High," which asks that God lift her above and beyond the ridicule of a world that doesn't know Him, but affirms that "I'm Yours, even if You don't." The hauntingly beautiful-yet disturbing-ballad "A Cold Heart Turns" pictures the many evidences of God's presence in nearly everything we see, but laments:

He's calling loud and clearly He's saying "Won't you hear me?" We see Him everywhere And still we roll on by

This lyrical and musical mood carries into the next cut, confessing to sin and proclaiming unworthiness of God's love, but then turns to a bright pop celebration of God's forgiveness and the recognition of the responsibility to "Go And Sin No More." (If you've got the CD, don't hit that stop button yet-40 seconds of patience will bring you the "hidden" track-an even better closer than the "official" last track. "Psalm 139" is a gentle, soaring ballad that comfortingly attests to the fact that God knows everything about us, and yet will always love us.)

Musically, this sophomore effort is a nearly total re-invention. Even the tracks that are more standard for St. James employ instrumentation that gives the songs a less middle-of-the-road feel, whether it's muddier guitars on the more rocking tunes or a heavier reliance on acoustic sounds (and, subsequently, less synth work) on the ballads. Lyrically, this album is very God-focused (like her debut release), with themes that are especially relevant to today's youth, yet applicable to believers of any age. As expressed in the title cut, this album-and, for that matter, the Christian walk-is ultimately all about God.