Rebecca St James - aLIVE In Florida

Reviewed by Nigel Harris

Fans of this Australian-born, US-based singer will be delighted with this CD and DVD package featuring Rebecca in concert in Fort Myers, Florida in March 2006. It showcases songs from her recent albums, including "You Are Loved", "Lamb Of God" and "Wait For Me" and a couple of songs from other writers, including Matt Redman's worship warhorse "Blessed Be Your Name". From the opening chords of "God Help Me" the band sets a strong pop rock vibe that continues through the whole set, so those more accustomed to Rebecca's earlier, gentler pop recordings may find a bit too much emphasis on layered rock guitars while Delirious? fans may want to re-assess Rebecca as more than a pretty pop purveyor. It has to be said that the recording doesn't try to tone down the raw live concert feel. Likewise, the DVD - which is a film of the same concert, same track listing - is basically a recording of a live concert, rather than a staged "live" studio performance, so when the lighting engineer decided that lots of blackout and strobes would be a good idea, that's what you get on the film, which doesn't always make for the best viewing. However, it does capture the energy and passion of the live event. The DVD also includes the chat between numbers and a brief talk on Compassion International, the charity Rebecca supports. Neither disc is essential listening/viewing in its own right, but as a twin pack it represents pretty good value.