Dawn (Rebecca St. James EP)


Dawn is the fifth extended play 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. 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.

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. She also toured with for King & Country and Casting Crowns on a Christmas tour.
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. 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. On 29 April 2020, St. James announced via Facebook live that her new album would be titled Dawn, although she later clarified in an Instagram post that Dawn would be an EP rather than a full-length record.

Critical reception

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." 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." 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."

Singles

The EP's sole single, "Battle Is the Lord's", was released on 12 June 2020 and features guest artist Brandon Lake. 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. A live version of the single was released on 28 March 2021.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Dawn's Spotify metadata.