"Even If" by ZOEGirl from Life

"If what's left of me is taken, I will not be shaken" from my faith in God, sing the friends that comprised ZOEgirl. For more upbeat pop rock—i.e., teenybopper—the band ZOEgirl probably helped define its sound in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) realm. The ladies can sing, and they have decent music, which is more than most CCM can claim.

"Even If" declares that no matter what happens in life, they will cling to Christ. No matter how lost and frightened, they'll "keep running back to" the Lord. They do say "Lord" and have Biblical allusions, but it's possible to listen to the song and miss them. I suspect some people perceive the song as talking about a significant other. Not the best lyrics they've done.

But it is some of the better music they've done. It's a kinda techno mix on this song, but it's not an annoying one (unless you hate synthetics entirely). It's a very organic flow to this song. It's pretty much a very upbeat teenybopper pop rock. Nothing extraordinary, but better than most uncreative tunes.

They sing together decently, soothingly, and the voices suit what they've done. A bit breathy to keep (or make?) the teen-oriented tone, and sounding much like Point of Grace, but they can sing. Fortunately.

For an upbeat clean pop rock song that doesn't grate on the ears, "Even If" fits the bill well.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 3/5
Overall: 8/10

"Scream" by ZOEgirl from Room to Breathe

"Do I have to scream for You to hear me? Do I have to bleed for You to see me?"

All Christians have times in their lives when it feels like God isn't there, much as BarlowGirl addresses in "Never Alone". Going through the questions and the emotions, the ladies then declare "Don't have to scream; don't have to bleed! 'Cause I'm clean, He is listening, and I don't have to scream."

As the last original album ZOEgirl released before breaking up last year, Room to Breathe has several songs I like a bit, as I learned when Mom got me the album since I liked this song so much. Chrissy Conway-Katina, Alisa Childers, and Kristin Schweain sing well and have catchy music, which explains the four-album band's immense popularity in Christian pop.

Okay, so their music is more average than great, but compared in the world of Christian pop, average music plus people who actually know how to sing can be hard to find. I say that as someone who listened to it almost exclusively until last summer when I learned what good music sounded like.

If you remember ZOEgirl as a teen band, they have adjusted that a little in "Scream" to appeal to a wider audience. The lyrics still target young women, like those of the Barlow sisters, but the women of ZOEgirl evidently show their age a little more here.

"Scream" by the now-defunct American band ZOEgirl is on the better end of Christian pop, yes, but alas it suffers from the lesser quality that haunts most Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It's a good CD for keeping you awake in your car, though.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 3/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 7/10