Published on Oct 22, 2000
Boy groups, schmoy groups. The real action in high-energy pop
these days, at least in Christian circles, is girl groups. When it
comes to boy groups there’s – Plus One and that’s about it. But
there seems to be no shortage of young, good-looking, girls willing
to go solo or in a group to create the current version of disco
music.
Yes, I said disco. Get over it. Because lo, this kind of
disposable pop music will be with you always, until the end of the
world – only now they call it dance music.
There are multiple groups and solo artists practicing this now
(V*ENNA, Aurora, Rachel Lampa, Shine-MK, Whisper Loud, Stacie
Orrico), but as far as I can tell the best one is coming out of
Sparrow Records with the improbable name of ZOEgirl – what does
that mean?
(According to Kristin Swinford, one of the members of the group,
“Zoe means ‘life’ – the kind of life attained through living
according to the will of God in Christ Jesus. We want our lives to
be examples of that — being a ‘ZOEgirl.'”)
Regardless, if this kind of music is your kind of music (even if
you won’t admit it in polite company) you will want to pick up
ZOEgirl’s debut disc. Not only is it imminently danceable, but the
lyrics that get stuck in your mind won’t be embarrassing should you
find yourself singing them out loud one day.
ZOEgirl is comprised of three young women (Chrissy Conway, Alisa
Girard, and Swinford) who did not know each other before being
tapped by Sparrow to form this group. What’s unusual about that is
these three women, after meeting each other and joining forces,
wrote or co-wrote every song on their debut while in the studio
recording it. And if their lyrics were puddles, you’d actually get
more than the soles of your feet wet when you walked through
them.
The first single, “I Believe,” was written by Girard and tells
the tale of a young woman who could not face the real world until
finding hope and salvation in Christ:
I used to close my eyes and pray the time would pass me by So I
could fly away in my dreams to anywhere unreal And I’d hide away
from everything I didn’t know what was real; I didn’t know the
truth There was a day when somebody introduced me to You And You
breathed your life in me, You set me free… Now I’ll shout it from
the mountain That I’m not the same that I used to be I believe in
God, believe in God
Set that lyric to a catchy beat, which Girard did, and you’ve
got one memorable single. But, do that for 8 or 9 out of 11 tracks
and you have a great debut album. Of course, some great producers,
including Tedd Tjornhom, Quinlan, and Joey P ably assisted the
trio.
The real test is whether the girls can carry a ballad — without
the benefit of drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers.
Truthfully, they can. Lyrically one of the strongest songs on the
disc is the ballad “Give Me One Reason,” written by all three
singers.
It is written from an unusual point of view for a Christian song
— that of a young woman who is sexually experienced, but after
giving her life to Jesus embraces abstinence. In the song the woman
is trying to explain to her boyfriend, who is not Christian, why
she can no longer live the way she did before her conversion:
I always thought you’d understand the reasons why Why I don’t
want to do the things that I used to do Now that my heart and my
soul, belong to God and God alone …How can you expect me to Walk
with Him and give myself to you?
There’s real life songwriting. This is a song that could speak
to “second-chance” virgins and offer them encouragement that yes,
it is possible to go back to abstinence. In the song, not only is
the singer saying it can’t be the way it once was, but, hey, by the
way, she says, you need Him to:
Boy, I still long for your embrace But what I’ve found in God,
oh, it could never be replaced Still I pray for the chance As you
slip through my hands you’ll come around But your hearts so far
away from the words I’m trying to say Wish I could hold you both
and still be true There’s only one thing left for me to do Baby, I
love you But I can’t stay with you unless you love Him too
What sets ZOEgirl apart, other than their intelligent lyrics, is
their sincerity. These women are genuine – and current. In the song
“Upside Down” (not a remake of the Diana Ross hit) the group sings
about the shallowness of pop culture. OK, so that’s pretty nervy
when you consider they are part of the culture, but it comes off
all right because of the message:
What’s up with all the obsession? What’s in and what’s out?
That’s what it’s about …Talk shows, ecstasy, horoscopes, DVD’s,
pop culture, magazines, chatrooms, MTV Protein diets, Internet, the
story isn’t over yet the psychic network really cares? WHO WANTS TO
BE A ZILLIONAIRE?
ZOEgirl’s debut is a great example of having your candy – and
eating it too. That’s what sets it above similar projects by other
groups. Yes, it’s pop fluff, but it’s fluff fortified with the
aural equivalent of the United States daily requirement of Vitamin
C — it’s also good for you.