27th March, 2006

JUSTIN MICHAEL   

Artist: Rebecca St James
Album: If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something

Label: Forefront, 2005

Enhanced content: No

In A Word: Convicted

'If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something' feels like an album RSJ needed to make. It seems to cover almost the entirety of the Christian spiritual journey and ends up with one knowing that it’s all worth it.

As a cog in the wheel of international Christian music, I think Rebecca St James must be often underestimated. Her importance as an artist is marked by her absolute conviction of the greatness of God and the creative need to put spiritual truths into song. Her sound has varied slightly over the past 10 years, but basically she found her own sound in records like God and Pray and has stuck to it. Over the span of her career she has shown time and again her strength of character, musicianship and the value of both working together.

If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something is the result of a month-long spiritual retreat in the Swiss Alps at a study centre called L’Abri. L’Abri is a French word simply meaning ‘shelter’. The centre was founded by theologian Dr. Francis Shaeffer in 1955 (there are now centres all over the world including Australia).

The songs carry different layers in their message. Take God Help Me. It was written on Rebecca’s 27th birthday “after coming face-to-face with a fresh understanding of the brevity of life and my intense need for God”. You Are Loved was based on recollections of a childhood school friend named Daniel. It is a reference to the story of the Prodigal Son and poses the question “How I wish that I could tell where your heart’s at...can you see? Mine has found home”.

RSJ goes on to express the beauty of true friendship in I Need You, the need for “reality and hope” in Shadowlands and gives the record a now trademark worshipful touch with covers of Marty Sampson’s Take All Of Me and the Willow Creek song Forgive Me. Beautiful Stranger is dedicated to the work of Compassion International, a child sponsorship organisation RSJ has worked with for many years.

Guests on the album include her close mates, fellow chick-rockers Barlowgirl on Forgive Me and Toby Mac on Thank You which includes the very hooky lyric “I’ve got three more words than thank you, I love you”.

If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something feels like an album RSJ needed to make. It seems to cover almost the entirety of the Christian spiritual journey and ends up with one knowing that it’s all worth it. Musically it borrows from emo rock, Eighties pop, modern worship anthems and the the rock grooves of her childhood all wrapped in the very definite sound that belongs solely to RSJ.

A must for any RSJ fan and an ‘easy-access’ album for newcomers.

Justin Michael can be heard weekday mornings on Geelong-based radio station 96.3 - www.rhemafm.org.au.