Transform

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
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

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With creations like Pray, God and Christmas under her belt, Rebecca St. James has fast become the princess of the one-word album title. And her latest release, Transform, doesn't disappoint-but not merely due to its singular moniker. If indeed St. James-already a veteran artist at 23-endeavored to grow up and push her musical boundaries this time out, Transform is quite the apt title. This collection of tunes-co-produced by Matt Bronleewe (Jars of Clay, Natalie Imbruglia) and Dann Huff... read more

Transform

Tracks:

Assess The Mess
Theme To Fake A Revolution
Free
Action
That's Entertainment
A Is For Apathy
Transform
Top Of The World
Song About Nuthin'
Stereotype
I Knew It
Hey, That's Right!
The Shape Of Things To Come

Customer Reviews:

Unprecidented.......2007-02-13

At first, I too was confused when listening to this album. Its such a drastic turn from stars revolt. The music switched to a more "poppy" tone, which apparently many people have a problem with.

I'll be the first to admit that listening to music like slipknot, cannibal corpse, lamb of god, and other extreme groups is second nature to me. Regardless of this fact, Transform is comparable to any CD I have ever listened to.

As one user (who obviously liked extreme metal) commented "All the songs sound alike.... was he ever off. Each song has a very distinctive and different feel to it which is one of the reasons this album is great.

This CD was pushed back months after its original release date because the band wanted to IMPROVE it. Not only did they improve it, they set a new barrier for what heavy metal should be.

Again, my favorite type of music is extreme music, but to dismiss this album as a "sell out album" or "tastless" is quite distasteful. This is in fact one of the only CD's that I have listened to that screams out words like INNOVATIVE, UNIQUE, and ASPIRING.

This could've been about a lot of things.......2006-03-30

Powerman 5000 have always made music that's radio-ready (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but on Transform they just went overboard. On Tonight The Stars Revolt! they basically just told a story and it was effective in creating a fun CD to listen to. On Transform, Powerman 5000 focuses on current events such as pop stars who lip-sync, outcast kids that are made fun of, and your basic 'be yourself' anthem.

The reason I use to like Powerman 5000 so much is because while their music wasn't the most creative thing you'd ever hear, the way they presented it and their image was unlike any other band out. It could be the line-up change they went through, but that old Powerman 5000 feel and sound is pretty much gone. At times throughout this CD it seems like the band themselves didn't even have faith in the songs so they didn't try. The vocals just aren't inspired like they were in TTSR!, and the rest of the band doesn't do anything new.

Make no mistake, when I first bought Transform I saw a lot of good in it. I thought the messages were good, and the lyrics were fairly creative. Three years later my point of view has changed greatly and I'm not buying that this is the CD they set out to make. I think this was pressure from their label to be even more radio-friendly. In doing so they lost that story-telling ability they had on TTSR!. If you've read any reviews for this CD, you no doubt know that Anyone For Doomsday was the CD they should've released instead.

A few of the best songs on here are That's Entertainment, Top Of The World, and Song About Nuthin'. Here's hoping that if Powerman 5000 do release another CD, that it actually lives up to their abilities as musicians, cause God knows they can do better than this.

Anyone for Doomsday would have been better!.......2005-10-30

They were supposed to release "Anyone For Doomsday?" but changed their mind in the last minute and released "Transform" instead. I love "Tonight The Stars Revolt" & "Anyone For Doomsday?" but don't really care much for "Transform". I wish they released "Anyone For Doomsday?",I always listen to that album over & over again (I had to download it) but I can't get into "Transform". "Bombshell" & "Danger Is Go!!!",my 2 favorite Powerman songs are on the Album they'll never release,instead I got stuck with "Transform". This is a decent album but not as cool as "Anyone For Doomsday?". I loved the sci-fi theme that they don't wanna keep anymore. Oh well,whatever!

Is this item ever going to ship to me?.......2005-09-21

I have not received this item.

Plenty of Action!!!.......2005-06-09

I've been a huge fan of powerman for a long time and iam gonna go see them in boston in july i think transform is better than ttsr because they sound alot better with the punk rock vibe than the sci fi vipe both albums are great but i think transform has a shaper edge.Spider is hands down better than rob

Average customer rating:

Reborn Music
Very Unique and Cool... and diverse... and just plain awesome!!!
what can I say?
Brilliant Lyrics, Awesome Vocals, Good Rhythm
Her best cd ever!

Transform
Rebecca St. James
Manufacturer: Forefront
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Pray
If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something
God
Worship God
Wait for Me: The Best from Rebecca St. James

ASIN: B00004ZDMO
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Tracks:

Intro
For The Love Of God
Reborn
Don't Worry
Merciful
One
Universe
Wait For Me
In Me
Lean On
All Around Me
Stand
My Hope

Amazon.com

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

Customer Reviews:

Reborn Music.......2007-01-19

Only few of the artists have courage to change their music style like Rebecca has! "God" is a rock album, and this is a disco album! This album has many hits, such as "Reborn", "Stand", and "Wait for Me". Rebecca's voice is awesome! I hope that many will find this album because it is one of my favourite albums of all time! It's hard to find any bad songs because this is so well produced. I would like to arise four songs especially: "For the Love of God", "Merciful", "My Hope", and "Lean on". This is the Christian disco pop album of our time!
Stars: Wait for Me, Universe, Merciful, Reborn, My Hope

Very Unique and Cool... and diverse... and just plain awesome!!!.......2006-11-08

This CD is SO great! I love the techno/pop/rock stuff she did with it. It's so amazing. I especialy like "For the LOve of God", "Don't Worry" and "Stand". Keep on Rockin' for the one and only Rock, Bec!

what can I say?.......2006-07-19

I was expecting a lot from this CD: I'd heard a lot of RSJ's music and really liked it so when I went ahead and bought this I just couldn't wait for it to land in my mailbox. Unfortunetely I can't say I was pleased. The lyrics are great, don't get me wrong but the melodies were just...strange. On the 2nd track we get some funky techno music, and on the last track a very calm tune, on the 7th track a more ''popish'' one. I guess there just isn't any harmony in it all. Too bad because there are some really good messages in there but they're clouded by attempted post modern music.
the 2 stars are for the very pleasant songs ''wait for me'' and ''my hope''

Brilliant Lyrics, Awesome Vocals, Good Rhythm.......2006-06-19

This CD was added to my collection soon after it came out in 2000, and I still listen to it! It is one of my favorite CDs that has stood the test of years of new music. I have always been a fan of Rebecca St. James and this album proves why. I love how the first couple of songs include an orchestra, and then the next few songs seem to stay rocky while shifting away from the orchestra. A seemingly perfect transition between songs makes this one awesome disc. Rebecca has brilliant lyrics, awesome vocals, as well as good rhythm: a must have for all Christian music lovers!

Her best cd ever!.......2005-11-25

Before this cd I wasn't too crazy about Rebecca St.James...but this Transform cd blew me away! It starts with a beautiful strings intro..followed my many awesome songs. Reborn and Lean On are very upbeat and techno-ish..and also my favorite songs on the album. There are only about 2 slow songs on here I don't like too much...but the good tracks make this cd definitly worth buying! I'm just dissapointed that the awesome song Lean On didn't make it to her "Best of" cd, because it's my favorite song from her overall! BUY THIS ...BUT THIS ...BUY THIS!!!!

Average customer rating:

Never mind the gay, just enjoy the music
20th Century Composers OUT on the Town
Art at its best!!

Gay American Composers

Manufacturer: Composers Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Tangos | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Gay & Lesbian | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Gay American Composers-Volume 2
Out Classics
Dante's Cove
The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000005TY0
Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

Homage A Rachmaninoff
Five Songs On Poems Of Walt Whitman: I Was There
Variations
Estampe
Incitation To Desire: Tango
The Nantucket Songs: The Dance
The Nantucket Songs: Nantucket
The Nantucket Songs: Go, Lovely Rose
The Nantucket Songs: The Dancer
Fantasy Pieces: I. Adagio
Fantasy Pieces: II. Poco Allegretto
Fantasy Pieces: III. Allegro Minacciando (...Diabolique)
Fantasy Pieces: IV. Largo
Two Quartets: Desire-Movement
In The Department Of Love
Bass Trombone, Bass Clarinet, Harp
Transform (Stream): Transform (Stream) (Excerpt)
Serenade For Betty Freeman & Franco Assetto
Walt Whitman In 1989
Hommage a Faure

Customer Reviews:

Never mind the gay, just enjoy the music.......2005-01-18

If you are dubious about the "gayness" of this music, no worries! So are most of the composers on this disc. Strangely, despite the premise of the collection, in the liner notes most deny their music is "gay," even if their lives are. Aside from the Whitman texts and a few other hints, you would be hard pressed to hear anything here but beautiful 20th cen. American music. And it is a beautiful selection, nice especially for the inclusion of lesser known young composers along with Rorem and Harrison.

20th Century Composers OUT on the Town.......2002-09-26

...Of the composers of note during the last 100 years or so (here in America) the vast majority of them are/were gay. This disc, with it's companion Volume 2 are a way to step into the gay sensibility a bit...

Well, I defy anyone to listen to Walt Whitman in 1989, by the late Chris De Blasio and have them tell me that isn't the heart-rendering cry of a gay man for his dying generation.

I don't want to give the impression that this disc is a downer. It isn't. But it is defiantly gay. Painfully beautiful, and at times downright challenging. Buy it. Stick it in you drive, and luxuriate in the fabulousness (and I don't use the "F" word lightly).

Art at its best!!.......2001-06-06

Absolutely wonderful music! I recommend this recording highly! The most moving works represented were provided by Philadelphia composer Robert Maggio and New Yorker Lee Hoiby.