Rebecca St. James new album

[PaulDA]

I figured that maybe this could have its' own thread since her album is due out soon, and one of the songs, 'Alive', will be going to radio soon.
Here is a pic of a 'temporary' album cover.
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Boo...CN&item_code=WW
More than likely this pic will be inside the album. Since it will be more rock oriented,
I imagine the cover will reflect that.
I love the pic though.....she is very photogenic.....

[dgp11776]

She looks like either Raggedy Ann or Pippi Longstocking in that picture.

[PaulDA]

I love the pic, but I just figured out who it reminds me of:
A girl from one of my daughter's fav tv shows:
Topanga (sp?) from 'Boy Meets World'.....  

[amalgamate]

I love the pic, but I just figured out who it reminds me of:
A girl from one of my daughter's fav tv shows:
Topanga (sp?) from 'Boy Meets World'.....

hmm...no?    

[PaulDA]

Her single 'Alive' is supposed to be up on her myspace on Sept 9.
http://www.myspace.com/rebeccastjames
Cool pic of her in her avatar, she has some braids!
First time I've seen that. =D  

[PaulDA]

Here's what CCM magazine said about the album in Sept issue...

"The Return of Rebecca the Rock Chick"

CCM Gets the inside track on Rebecca St James' upcoming album, "If I Had Once Chance to Tell You Something" (CCM listed it incorrectly as, "If I Could Tell You Just One Thing")

It's kind of like an early Christmas celebration--the speculation, the secrecy, the eager anticipation of long-awaited goodies. But because sleigh bells won't be ringing for three more months, the surprise we're talking about is Rebecca St James' new album, slated to release mid-November.

Indeed, if all goes according to plan, Rebecca's new CD Will be in our hands in two months. After a prolonged era of purveying worship music, Rebecca is now ready to offer a cross-section of her own thoughts, feelings and artisitic growth over the past several years.

I'm working with Tedd T., who did my God album, Christmas and Pray and has been a near mainstay with my music." Rebecca reports, "Matt Bronlewee, who's also done quite a few of my recent albums, is really pulling some fresh rock stuff out on this album. So far, it's been awesome! Then, Shawn Shankel. He's done a lot of pop stuff...He's a really strong Christian, and he did Kimberly Locke and Hillary Duff, but he's really wanting to move away from just pop stuff to modern rock. I'm really pumped about what we're coming up with, too. It's a really strong team--We actually got all the producers in one room just the other day, and it was real sense of, God's doing something really cool here."

Since the lyrical direction of the last few projects has rarely departed from spiritual themes, can listeners expect this to be a more personal peek into Rebecca's life?

""The two words that are kind of coming up lately in describing the album are hope and reality." Rebecca says, "It's like I'm really wanting to share in a very real way what's going on in my life and just be really vulnerable/ My lyrics on this album are probably more vulnerable than any that I've done before. Which people are really responding to well because we've been doing some stuff out on the road, and the early response has been awesome.

"That's been a real thing on my new album: Every song has definite realityand vulnerability in it but also hope that you can walk away and go, 'You know what, yeah, God is with me through all that I go through, and I have hope because of Him.' So I think that it's kind of a nice mix."
 

[PaulDA]

Here is that pic: Now THAT would make a GREAT album cover!!!


 

[PaulDA]

With the new book Bec is writing, she is one busy woman.

[bloop]

Here is that pic: Now THAT would make a GREAT album cover!!!

I don't think so.  I don't like the angle.  I think it accentuates an underbite (or looks like it does if she doesn't have one).

[PaulDA]

Here is that pic: Now THAT would make a GREAT album cover!!!

I don't think so.  I don't like the angle.  I think it accentuates an underbite (or looks like it does if she doesn't have one).

You are in the minority of everyone that has seen it, both on cmc and rsjames.com.
In fact, her bottom lip does come out a bit, but that is part of what make Rebecca unique.  

[Brenden]

Here is that pic: Now THAT would make a GREAT album cover!!!

I don't think so.  I don't like the angle.  I think it accentuates an underbite (or looks like it does if she doesn't have one).

You are in the minority of everyone that has seen it, both on cmc and rsjames.com.
In fact, her bottom lip does come out a bit, but that is part of what make Rebecca unique.

I have to agree with bloop, it isn't a very flattering pic, certainly not album cover worthy. I've seen her look better.

[PaulDA]

^This is so weird. All of her fans on CMC and rsjames.com think this is a gorgeous pic (including me) and perfect for the album cover.

[murlough23]

Regardless of whether that's a good picture of RSJ or not, I tend to not prefer face shots as album covers. I like for the album cover to be an image of something interesting that has to do with the album in some way, rather than just a picture of a person or a group of people. I can see those on the inside if I'm interested.

After a prolonged era of purveying worship music, Rebecca is now ready to offer a cross-section of her own thoughts, feelings and artisitic growth over the past several years.

Wow, that's just what I asked for. I'm 10 times more excited for this one now.

NP: "Plane", Jason Mraz

[PaulDA]

Now HERE'S a ROCK CHICK PIC!!  
 

[murlough23]

For the love of God. They want to get people psyched about the album, and all they have is pics? Come on, why not let us preview some of the ACTUAL MUSIC?

[PaulDA]

For the love of God. They want to get people psyched about the album, and all they have is pics? Come on, why not let us preview some of the ACTUAL MUSIC?

That's not the rsj website posting pics, I'm finding them on different posts in different forums!  

[murlough23]

[PaulDA]

^Your wish is my command, oh recently married man!

YOU CAN HEAR 30 SECONDS OF "ALIVE" HERE!

[PaulDA]

Come on Murlough and anyone else!! =D
Wake up and listen to the clip!
Do you like it or not? 8-)  

[murlough23]

Come on Murlough and anyone else!! =D
Wake up and listen to the clip!
Do you like it or not? 8-)

Sorry, I didn't get the reply notification, and it's been a very busy weekend. I'll listen to it later today.

NP: "Let It Go", Corrinne May

[PaulDA]

Come on Murlough and anyone else!! =D
Wake up and listen to the clip!
Do you like it or not? 8-)

Sorry, I didn't get the reply notification, and it's been a very busy weekend. I'll listen to it later today.

NP: "Let It Go", Corrinne May

This married business is getting on my LAST nerve!
Get your butt in here and listen and respond.
*Wife probably has him doing shopping, painting walls and rearranging furniture*.  

[murlough23]

This married business is getting on my LAST nerve!
Get your butt in here and listen and respond.
*Wife probably has him doing shopping, painting walls and rearranging furniture*.

Well, hell, you're doing a lot more nagging than she does.

Anyway, I listened. Somewhat fun. But trite. Certainly a more interesting 30 seconds than anything I've heard from her in the last four years, though.

[PaulDA]

Well, hell, you're doing a lot more nagging than she does.

Anyway, I listened. Somewhat fun. But trite. Certainly a more interesting 30 seconds than anything I've heard from her in the last four years, though.

LOL@the nagging comment!

I'll take the RSJ comment as a partial compliment because 30 seconds isn't enough to base on a song anyway.

[murlough23]

I'll take the RSJ comment as a partial compliment because 30 seconds isn't enough to base on a song anyway.

Yeah. my impression was that I was just hearing the chorus, which is designed to hook people in with something catchy and get 'em excited over the rock factor. The verses may actually say something intelligent, for all I know. 30 second clips are rarely enough to base an opinion on, but in all fairness, that is what I asked you for and you provided.

[PaulDA]

Here is the tracklisting so far (this may be the entire song list)
from RSJ's MySpace in no particular order:

1. Lest I Forget
2. I Can Trust You
3. Thank You
4. Take All Of Me
5. God Help Me
6. Love Being Loved By You
7. You Are Loved
8. I Need You
9. Beautiful Stranger
10. Alive
11. Shadowlands
12. Forgive Me (Featuring Barlowgirl)

Who is this Barlowgirl? A rapper?

[murlough23]

OK. First of all, most of those song titles are hopelessly generic, and this doesn't bode well for the album supposedly being more personal and creative. "Thank You"? Is she serious? After already having songs called "I Thank You" and "I Thank You Lord"? I guess on the next album she'll just have "Thanks", shortly followed by a completely different song called "Thx".

Second of all, BarlowGirl is an all girl CCM band who inspired the Superchic[k] song "Barlow Girls". Their sound is similar to that of Superchic[k].

[PaulDA]

OK. First of all, most of those song titles are hopelessly generic, and this doesn't bode well for the album supposedly being more personal and creative. "Thank You"? Is she serious? After already having songs called "I Thank You" and "I Thank You Lord"? I guess on the next album she'll just have "Thanks", shortly followed by a completely different song called "Thx".
 

Criticise away, I am on a cloud that her new CD is almost out!
One thing to remember, RSJ's version of introspection and deeper meaning will probably not be the same as a Nicole Nordeman, or others who naturally do that sort of style, nor would I want Rebecca to change completely to that style.
I like her as she is, and adding some deeper lyrics or introspection in her own style is what I want.

[murlough23]

One thing to remember, RSJ's version of introspection and deeper meaning will probably not be the same as a Nicole Nordeman, or others who naturally do that sort of style, nor would I want Rebecca to change completely to that style.
I like her as she is, and adding some deeper lyrics or introspection in her own style is what I want.

One thing to remember, RSJ's version of introspection and deeper meaning will probably not be the same as a Nicole Nordeman, or others who naturally do that sort of style, nor would I want Rebecca to change completely to that style.
I like her as she is, and adding some deeper lyrics or introspection in her own style is what I want.

Her own style is fine. But I'm not seeing a lot of uniqueness in most of those song titles. They're not the kind of titles that say "This song is about something interesting".

[PaulDA]

Her own style is fine. But I'm not seeing a lot of uniqueness in most of those song titles. They're not the kind of titles that say "This song is about something interesting".

Don 't judge a book by its' cover.....or a song by its' title.    

[murlough23]

Don 't judge a book by its' cover.....or a song by its' title.  

I'll still listen to the album. But let's be honest, most songs with titles like that in CCM are going to be about very predictable things.

NP: "Blush (Only You)", Plumb

[PaulDA]

I'll still listen to the album. But let's be honest, most songs with titles like that in CCM are going to be about very predictable things.
 

Well, some of them may straight up RSJ worship type songs as she has done on all of her previous albums.
I don't think she should just abandon these types of songs just to say she did something different, but I would say at least half are going to be what you would call more in depth, and you may be pleasantly surprised.

[PaulDA]

Some of the lyrics to three songs on the album,
'God Help Me', 'You Are Loved' and 'Alive', probably from someoe who has heard part of the album, because a couple of words are missing:

Lyrics
1. God Help Me
In Deep I cry, come and change my life / I have felt the cold breath in and lock my __ fear / Just let the __ flash through my soul, / open up the windows and the doors / Reach into the corners of my flaws / Showing my needs. / Runnin outta time to live / Runnin outta love to give / Runnin outta life within / God Help me! / Don't care who stands / They don't want to be open again / Races to the core and draws me in / And I will __ it. / Cause now I see you light drawing me close / Close to all the love I so deserve / Higher to the __ __ __ my hand out to you / Without you I'm... / Runnin outta time to live / Runnin outta love to give / Runnin outta life within / God Help me!
2. You Are Loved
We were younger then, you an me / Full of dreams, weren't we? / I went my way, you went yours / Where did ya go, dear? / Someone said, you were loved / The life we lived, together then / This is my way, of reaching out / Cause I remember / This is what I want to say to you /
If I had one chance to speak to your heart / You are loved, more than you'll ever know / This is what I want to say to you / if I had one chance to tell you something / There is hope, more than you can imagine imagine! / If I told you, would you believe? / The man you knew, did not leave / If I told, would you understand? / That I have found the truth /
Are you cheating? Are you hurting now? / How I wish, that I could tell /
Where your heart's at, can't you see? / Mine has found Him! / This is what I want to say to you / if I had one chance to speak to your heart, / you are loved, more than you'll ever know / This is what I want to say to you / If I had one chance to tell you something / There is hope, more than you can imagine / Imagine! / Not sure if I've been clear enough / It's not my life I sing about. / Everybody asks, "is God good?" / I believe, He is! / I know, He is! / This is what I want to say to you / If I had one chance to speak to your heart, / You are loved, more than you'll ever know / This is what I want to say to you / If I had one chance to tell you something / There is hope, more than you can imagine / Imagine!
3. Alive
You make me come alive / You make me come alive / I've found a secret / It's only when I let go / Of what I want in this life/ You make me come alive / You make me come alive / You make me come alive / I've found a secret / It's only when I let go / Of what I want in this life

[Wildcatblue7]

Wow, Alive has some seriously banal lyrics.  She can do much better . . . I saw that on Pray (I used to love that album to death!)

[murlough23]

Wow, Alive has some seriously banal lyrics.  She can do much better . . . I saw that on Pray (I used to love that album to death!)

Ditto on "Alive". The others show some promise, but nowhere near the specificity and imagery I'd expect from a seasoned songwriter. They admit to pain and seem more relational, but they still have the flaw of sounded like they could have been written by anyone, to anyone.

[PaulDA]

Ditto on "Alive". The others show some promise, but nowhere near the specificity and imagery I'd expect from a seasoned songwriter. They admit to pain and seem more relational, but they still have the flaw of sounded like they could have been written by anyone, to anyone.

Oh my.....I guess I have to be the RSJ defender here!
How can you folks judge the lyrics to 'Alive' when the lines ones we know so are are the chorus? As for the other songs, it is always hard to judge lyrics to songs by themselves without hearing how there sound.
Oh, this is for Murlough   :
http://forum.cmcentral.com/index.php?showt...ndpost&p=870380
320 responses baby.
There are quite a few of us RSJ groupie's there now.

[PaulDA]

One more thing  to keep in mind:
Even though she is making this album more personal,
she did say she wanted it to be very Biblical.

[PaulDA]

It's official, this is the actual album cover:

[adriftconscious]

How? Its not the right proportion. They'll have to squish her and make her look like a munchkin. Ah, but perhaps I doubt the skill of modern technology.

[murlough23]

One more thing  to keep in mind:
Een though she is making this album more personal,
she did say she wanted it to be very Biblical.

Who ever said the two needed to be mutually exclusive? Look at Shaun Groves; he based his entire album on the Beatitudes, and yet there are very personal songs, or specific stories about other people, in there. (Not all the way through, but he reached down pretty deep for a few of 'em.) I hate this idea that in order to be Biblical, we have to resort to basically paraphrasing the Bible, or common Christian catch-phrases.

And I don't give a shizznibizzniat what the ding-a-lings at CMC have to say about it.

[PaulDA]

And I don't give a shizznibizzniat what the ding-a-lings at CMC have to say about it.

Riiiiiiiiight.....