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JFH Music Review


Rebecca St. James, Icon
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Rebecca St. James
Icon



Artist Info: Discography
Genre(s): Pop / Pop Rock / Worship
Album length: 11 tracks
Street Date: January 7, 2014


Rebecca St. James has been a pop/rock staple in the CCM scene for nearly two decades and she boasts an incredible treasure trove of wonderful songs. Usually I am very critical on cash grab collections such as this. 11 songs from an artist with music spanning 20 years just seems a little skimpy. (Check out my scathing review of her 2008 Greatest Hits disc if you want to know how I feel about most of these "hits" collections.) However, Icon is not most hits collections. Yes, it's short (it actually has 1 less track than Greatest Hits did), but it succeeds in 2 major areas where Greatest Hits failed. The first is timing. Greatest Hits was released in 2008 just 7 months after the incredible 2-disc set The Ultimate Collection (which I still believe to be the definitive Rebecca St. James release); Icon is being released three years since Rebecca has released a new album and in the year of her 20th musical anniversary. Second, Greatest Hits had a poor tracklisting. It featured several non-hits and left out too many essentials. As brief as it is, Icon does a decent job including all of the important moments from Rebecca's career.

The album opens with Rebecca's massive 2003 smash "I Thank You," an absolutely irresistible pop track from her first hits collection Wait for Me. The rest of the tracks represent each of her albums released in the last 20 years (except her holiday album, Christmas, and the 2011 release, I Will Praise You, which was distributed under Reunion Records, not ForeFront Records like her earlier material). "Here I Am," from her 1994 self-titled debut is an incredible worship anthem that showcases maturity beyond Rebecca's years. "God," "You're the Voice," and "Go and Sin No More" represent the 1996 album God, and while all 3 songs are wonderful tracks, I personally felt "You're the Voice" could have been excluded to make room for a better track in her catalog, but it's my only real nitpick.

The pop/rock gem "Pray" is the sole inclusion from her 1998 Grammy Award winning album Pray. "Wait for Me" and "Reborn" represent 2000's Transform, and "Song of Love" stands in for 2002's Worship God. Lastly, the infectious "Alive" is lifted from the 2005 record If I Had One Chance to Tell You Something, while the 1999 radio only single "Yes, I Believe in God" rounds out the tracklist.

As I mentioned before, Icon is very brief, but all 11 songs are true hits and wonderful songs that represent a long and healthy career from Rebecca St. James. If you're looking for a meatier hits collection, definitely buy The Ultimate Collection, but if you're just searching for a cheap record that has some of CCM's biggest hits from the last 20 years, Icon is for you.

JFH Reader Review: Review date: 1/4/14, written by J.C. for Jesusfreakhideout.com



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. Record Label: Capitol / Forefront Records
. Album length: 11 tracks
. Street Date: January 7, 2014
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon.com (CD)

  1. I Thank You
  2. Wait For Me
  3. Song Of Love
  4. God
  5. Pray
  6. Alive
  7. Reborn
  8. Yes, I Believe In God
  9. You're The Voice
  10. Here I Am
  11. Go And Sin No More
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This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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