Rebecca St. James

Item: Transform
Author: Amber

Transform

(2000)

Reviewed by Amber

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Label ForeFront RecordsThe Rebel Base2001

ccm dance pop

If reviews were based on how well the artist could name their album, or how well it relates to them or their music this one would definitely receive a 5 star rating. Rebecca St. James transforms her music into something new, some of it good, and some of it not so good.

I have been a fan of St. James for a long time. Ever since God came out I was hooked. I liked Pray when it came out, and then there was Transform. I didn't get it right away, but then I saw the music video for "Reborn" and really enjoyed the sound. And now with the album in hand, I'm not quite so sure if I'm as pleased as I would've liked to have been. This album has more of a poppy sound to it, and for some artists that is good. It also mixes a bit of an R&B flavor to it, and don't forget the strings here and there.

The "Intro" is just a one minute track, and as you might've guessed, it opens the album up. It then leads into "For the Love of God," which is a very nice song. It is upbeat but it isn't too poppy. It's not overwhelming which is nice. Then there's "Reborn" which as I said earlier really made me want to purchase this album. It actually has more of a "techno" sound to it, but I like it. Then there's "Don't Worry." It's a catchy, happy song but I think it reaches a low point in her lyrics department as Josh mentioned in his review.

"Merciful" is a good song which is heavy on the strings. "One" is just too much for me. It's a lot of pop and r&b melodies, and I think it's probably one of the worst tracks on the album. It reminds me of one of the Christian girl band Shine's songs (no offense to any of their fans out there!) "Universe" follows much of the same pattern, and I don't think it really works out for Rebecca. "Wait For Me" is probably my favorite song on this cd. The lyrics have a lot of meaning to me and actually refer to St. James' future husband.

"In Me" reminds me of something that would've been on Pray. It has an acoustic sound to it, which is a nice break from some of the previous pop-laden tracks. "Lean On" ranks right up there with "One" and "Universe." The way she has a kind of "robotic" voice thing going on, just doesn't appeal, and actually sounds somewhat cheesy. I was happy to hear "All Around Me" because it held more of her sound from her previous albums. "Stand" is a very meaningful song, but I'm not too sure about the melody. This actually reminds me of something from her debut album. The closing track "My Hope" is a nice mellow, praise song which brings a nice ending to the album.

All around I wasn't too pleased with this album. Don't get me wrong, there were some high points, and maybe in some ways St. James has advanced musically. But I know this won't be on my favorites list. Long time fans might not enjoy it as much, or maybe they would. Personally, I think her older days were better.

Amber's Score: 2/5

Nathan's Score: 3.5/5