For the Love of God - Rebecca St. James, Bronleewe, Matt
Reborn - Rebecca St. James, Bronleewe, Matt
Don't Worry - Rebecca St. James, Bronleewe, Matt
Merciful - Rebecca St. James, Bose, Jeremy
One - Rebecca St. James, Hamm, Reggie
Universe - Rebecca St. James, Saint James, Rebecc
Wait for Me - Rebecca St. James, Saint James, Rebecc
In Me - Rebecca St. James, Cates, Chad
Lean On - Rebecca St. James, Earthsuit
All Around Me - Rebecca St. James, Duncan, Brad
Stand - Rebecca St. James, Hamm, Reggie
My Hope - Rebecca St. James, Field, Paul
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... more ». 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« less
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
"From when she first popped onto the music scene in 1994, I've always seen Rebecca St. James as being a 'good' artist, but this remarkable album has transformed her into a great one. Featuring a brilliant mix of rock, dance, and pop, Transform is filled with energy-packed songs that lay claim to what drives Rebecca in her life. There are no duds in these 12 songs as each one has something unique to offer. Among the best tracks on Transform are For The Love Of God and All Around Me, two powerful rockers with extremely catchy choruses. Other highlights include Don't Worry, the radio smash hit featuring another killer chorus, One, a song with a great dance beat that is sure to sound fantastic at her concerts, and Reborn, another standout dance hit. The song Wait For Me, though perhaps not one of the album's best songs musically, offers a memorable and poignant lyric about maintaining the gift of sexual purity for one's husband or wife, a message this world clearly needs to hear more of. In fact, thought-provoking and uncompromising lyrics punctuate Transform. But make no mistake: this album would easily reach the status of excellence even without its exemplary Christian lyrics. It is simply a great listen that cannot be missed."
An album that will blow you AWAY!
James Fox | 11/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With a lot of Christian artists, they are simply going with the flow. After comparing even "star" young artists like Jaci Velasquez with RSJ, there is only one thing to say.HANG ONTO THE RAILS! THIS IS ONE INCREDIBLE RIDE!Once again, a blow you out-of-the water CD. How does she do it? That's an easy one. God's the center of her life. And this album proves it, if Pray, and God didn't. The brief intro at the begining of the CD is a curiousity. Unusual, to be sure, but not to be missed.Then you are blown away with "For the Love of God" Those lyrics are incredible. They ROCK. Reborn has an unusal blend of lyrics and contrasting music. The deep chorous "Have you ever felt that something is missing within your soul; you want something more, but you don't know what for" really blew me away. VERY powerful.Don't Worry is an okay listening-to. But if your seeking, I suggest you skip over this track, because the tune and alternating talk-singing sort of distracts from the mood of the message.One is an awesome track. However, the lyrics are rushed, and it detracts from the song.Universe blew me AWAY. Totally and completely. The compelling lyrics are so powerful I almost cried when hearing it. Wait for Me has a good message. In Me is a little overrated, sometimes. It's a good song, yes, but the tune gets to me a little.Lean On was a shocker. When I heard it, my blood turned cold. I love this track. It says a lot, without saying too much.All Around Me has to be the best song on the CD. I find it highly underrated, and a definate listen-to. "Yesterday, Mid-afternoon, My thoughts keep turning back to You. In my mind, you'd flood my head, with echos of the things you'd said." Those lyrics mean something to me. A lot. My cousin and I (my cousin is not an RSJ fan, by the way) rave about this song. It has a powerful message not to be overlooked.Stand has a good message as well. Not as strong as the others on her CD, though.My Hope was one of those deep reflecting, cry-alot songs. Experiance gained by pain and tears. Not to be missed, even if you prefere dance tunes."
Great CD.....
James Fox | 04/30/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great Christian CD to own. It has a great techno-pop feel to it without being souless or sugary. It is filled with great tracks with wonderful messages behind them. Here are my opinions of the songs on this CD-1. Intro-even though its real short, it is a passioned, dramatic classical peice. nice. 2. For the love of God-GREAT song. Nice techno-rave feel to it and its just the thing to get you dancing. 3. Reborn-a cheesy euro-style dance peice...i didn't find this one so great 4. Don't worry-it sounds a little corny at first with its rap-rhyming, but it will get you singing along with it and loving it after another listen. 5. Merciful- SWEEEET! Great classical instrumentation and heaby drum beats, and deep spirituality in the lyrics...this is one of my faves on the album spiritually *and* musically. 6. One- a Britney Spears-ish pop song, i don't really like this one but it has a good message. 7. Universe-an okay track, kind of like "merciful" but not as good. 8. Wait for me- great message of staying sexually pure until marriage and a nice beautiful rhythm to it, great for slow dancing. I could imagine this one being played on Dawson's Creek or Party of Five during an on-screen kiss or something. 9. In me- this one is very much a country song-sounding a lot like Reba Macintire or Leann Rimes. I am not a big fan of country but I like this one. 10. Lean on- another track along the lines of "reborn" 11. All around me- a delicious rock track. 12. Stand- the one with the most spiritually challenging lyrics on the CD (in my opinion), really encourages Christians to take a stand for God in today's world/ 13. My hope- one of my faves. a slow, classical/techno thing...very good."
RSJ: Beautiful inside and out!
James Fox | 02/02/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Rebecca is uniquely beautiful and my role model, a wonderful one, too! 'Transform' is her best album. Euro-pop tracks with excellent strings performed by The London Sessions Orchestra. When I was 10 I listened to this CD in a music store and after the stringed intrument intro, I decided that I'd try something else. But later, I matured beyond cheesy songs about nothing, and realized this is great music, and bubble gum poppy isn't really the only good style (And I don't listen to it anymore, exept I think Rose Falcon is great! she isn't really bubble gum though. Check her out!) My fave tracks out "Universe" (Based on some verses from the Psalms) and "Reborn", a great track to dance to and lipsynce around to. "For the love of God" Is about 1 Corninthians 13 (The love chapter) and is pretty good. "Don't worry" is a reminder a lot fo us need to hear, and keeps the tempo up. "Merciful" isn't really that great, but Rebecca is always fantastic. Some people complian "One" sounds too much like Britney's "Oops, I did it again" but of course "One" is Christian with a great message and is great to dance too. Nothing wrong with it! "Wait for me" is a another great reminder, it's for teens and singles. I don't love "In me" and "Stand" is just Okay. But the albums a winner. Go Rebecca you rock!"