NEW audioCD

Transform

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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

Review

With creations like Pray, God and Christmas under her belt, Rebecca St. James has fast become the princess of the one-word album title. And her latest release, Transform, doesn't disappoint-but not merely due to its singular moniker. If indeed St. James-already a veteran artist at 23-endeavored to grow up and push her musical boundaries this time out, Transform is quite the apt title. This collection of tunes-co-produced by Matt Bronleewe (Jars of Clay, Natalie Imbruglia) and Dann Huff (Lonestar)-is an at once compelling and catchy mix of dance rhythms, otherworldly sounds, classical orchestral instrumentation and St. James' familiar pop-rock orientation.
Still, if the first track, "For the Love of God," is any indicator (and it is), longtime St. James fans are in for a raved-out wake-up call. The first few seconds reveal a powerful undercurrent of rhythm, along with guitar and bass reminiscent of '80s and '90s U2, respectively. There's also a harmonic chorus that subtly carries the partly cloudy verses-complete with atypical distorted, thin vocals from St. James-into bright, smiling, orchestral sunlight. This is an effective production move that rears its head throughout Transform. The hip shaking doesn't stop there. "Lean On" is a full-on techno fest, straight outta Manhattan's mid-'80s dance-club heyday; "Merciful" is an unabashed confession to God (adapted from the Book of Common Prayer), highlighted by all manner of wild sound effects and St. James' admirable Bjork imitation on the tail end of the verses. Throughout the record, St. James' voice sounds more mature on this release, richer, more confident.
"Reborn" ups the dance-floor ante even higher, its quickly paced BPMs and decidedly Euro-styled keyboard programming and odd noises driving a track that could easily fit into any DJ's playlist. But strobe light groovers beware-St. James' lyrics point to God, who gave them legs to dance with in the first place.
No surprise. St. James has never been one to lyrically obscure her faith. But on Transform-perhaps more than any of her previous releases-evangelism is a prime focus and urgent concern, especially for the young people of her generation. Given that, her newest musical direction makes sense in light of the ever-growing, worldwide explosion of dance music among teens and young 20-somethings. With the exception of the slightly cheesy, spoken-word rap-rhyming on "Don't Worry," St. James nails every element of Transform-a style leap, to be sure... but one that's full of enough diversity to command interest for years. -- Dave Urbanski (c) 2000 CCM Communications, Inc. -- From CCM Magazine -- Subscribe Now!, ISBN13: B00004ZDMO ISBN10: B00004ZDMO Material Type: audioCD