If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something (Special Edition) by Rebecca St James

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

As many of her legion of fans will now know, this album is the first fruit of the visit to L'Abri Christian retreat Rebecca took in 2004. It also claims to be her most rock-orientated project since 1996's 'God'. It certainly starts with major impact, track two being "Alive", a surging piece of pop rock which is already a hit Stateside. It is not the album's only highlight. "Shadowlands" captures in moody musical shadings the pain and enigma of its CS Lewis source, "You Are Loved" uses the chord sequence of Pachelbel's "Caron" and a lyric written for a friend who had gone through a "prodigal" experience in his life. Rebecca's time at L'Abri truly does seem to have produced a greater depth in her lyric writing, with more vulnerability than has ever been displayed before. The musical guests on the set are well chosen too, Toby Mac adds his street savvy on "Thank You" while those engaging pop rockers BarlowGirl join Rebecca on "Forgive Me". All in all, an impressive return to top form from Rebecca and as an added inducement to buy, the package comes with a six-song live bonus DVD recorded at Creation West and featuring the first three songs from 'If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something' plus performances of "Lamb Of God", "Wait For Me" and "God".