Dawn (Rebecca St. James EP)

Dawn is the fifth extended play (EP) by Rebecca St. James. Released on July 24, 2020, Dawn is St. James' first studio recording in nine years and her first with Heritage Music Group.^[1] The EP was preceded by the single "Battle Is the Lord's", which was released on June 12, 2020 and features recording artist Brandon Lake.^[2]

Dawn
EP by Rebecca St. James
Released	July 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)
Genre	CCM
Length	26:40
Label	Heritage
Producer	Tedd Tjornhom Seth Mosley
Rebecca St. James chronology
I Will Praise You (2011) Dawn (2020) Kingdom Come (2022)
Singles from Dawn
"Battle Is the Lord's (feat. Brandon Lake)" Released: June 12, 2020

Background and development

After several years of musical hiatus, St. James recorded and released a cover of "Amazing Grace", with her brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone of the band for King & Country. The song was released in October 2017.^[3] She also toured with for King & Country and Casting Crowns on a Christmas tour.^[4]

St. James later joined the "Greatest Hits Live" tour from November 2018 and continued through May 2019, with Point of Grace, Avalon, Nicole C. Mullen, Bob Carlisle and NewSong.^[5] On 10 January 2019, St. James announced that she was writing music for a new album with frequent collaborator Tedd T. and that she had signed with Heritage Music Group, an imprint of Bethel Music.^[6][7] On 29 April 2020, St. James announced via Facebook live that her new album would be titled Dawn,^[8][9] although she later clarified in an Instagram post that Dawn would be an EP rather than a full-length record.^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Today's Christian Entertainment	^[11]
Jesus Freak Hideout	^[12]
JubileeCast	^[13]

Dawn received mixed reviews from critics. Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying "All things considered, it's a good album, bordering on solid if you like the genre, and at the very least a welcome comeback from a beloved CCM voice."^[12] Today's Christian Entertainment gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing "...Rebecca’s soothing vocals combined with the beautifully arranged music make this EP a must add to your playlists and a perfect companion to spending quiet time with our Savior."^[11] Conversely, JubileeCast gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing "After a nine year wait, Dawn doesn't sound like a Rebecca St. James record. It sounds like a contemporary composite worship record made by her producers with St. James as the guest vocalist."^[13]

Singles

The EP's sole single, "Battle Is the Lord's", was released on 12 June 2020 and features guest artist Brandon Lake.^[14] It peaked at 48 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart, 34 on the Christian Airplay chart, and 24 on the Christian Digital Song Sales chart.^[15][16][17] A live version of the single was released on 28 March 2021.^[18]

Track listing

Credits adapted from Dawn's Spotify metadata.^[19]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Prelude"	Seth Mosley Tedd Tjornhom	Mosley Tjornhom	0:26
2.	"Middle of the Fire" (with Josh Baldwin)	Baldwin Rebecca St. James Tjornhom	Tjornhom Mosley	3:46
3.	"Ready for the Rain"	Chris Davenport St. James Tjornhom	Tjornhom Mosley	4:34
4.	"Fall Back"	Jonathan Smith Mosley Mia Fieldes St. James	Mosley	4:12
5.	"Dawn" (with Luke Smallbone)	Mosley Smallbone St. James Tjornhom	Tjornhom	4:57
6.	"Battle Is the Lord's" (with Brandon Lake)	Heath Balltzglier St. James Seth Condrey Tjornhom	Tjornhom Mosley	3:55
7.	"Alleluia Jesus"	Kristene Dimarco St. James Tjornhom	Tjornhom	4:46

References

1. "'DAWN' BREAKS FOR REBECCA ST. JAMES JULY 24". Turning Point Media Relations. Turning Point Media Relations. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
2. "Battle Is the Lord's - Single by Rebecca St. James on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
3. "My Utmost For His Highest: New multi-artist celebration of classic devotional book". Cross Rhythms.
4. Longs, Herb (15 October 2017). "Rebecca St. James Joining Casting Crowns And For King & Country Holiday Tour". www.thechristianbeat.org.
5. "NewSong Announces "Greatest Hits Live" Tour, Featuring Avalon, Nicole C. Mullen, Bob Carlisle, Rebecca St. James, Point Of Grace, More". BreatheCast. 2 August 2018.
6. "Rebecca St. James on Instagram: "Songwriting day today for my new worship album! With @_teddt_ and @thesethmosley here in Nashville. Prayers for God's hand to be on this…"". Instagram. Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
7. "Rebecca St. James on Instagram: "So thrilled and honored to have signed with Heritage - Bethel Music's new record label! Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this…"". Instagram. Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
8. St. James, Rebecca. "Live with Rebecca St. James". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
9. "Rebecca St. James to Host Live Concert at Home". Premiere Productions. Premier Productions. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
10. St. James, Rebecca. "Login • Instagram". Instagram. Instagram from Facebook. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
11. Meade, Kelly. "Rebecca St. James 'Dawn EP'". Today's Christian Entertainment. Avada.
12. Balogh, Josh. "Dawn - EP". Jesusfreakhideout. Jesusfreakhideout. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
13. Yap, Timothy. "Rebecca St. James "Dawn" EP Review". JubileeCast. JubileeCast. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
14. St. James, Rebecca. "Battle is the Lord's". Amazon. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
15. "Rebecca St. James Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
16. "Rebecca St. James Chart History (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
17. "Rebecca St. James Chart History (Christian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
18. "Battle Is the Lord's (Live) [feat. Brandon Lake] - Single by Rebecca St. James on Apple Music". Apple Music. United States. Apple Inc. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
19. "Dawn". Spotify. Spotify. Retrieved 7 November 2021.