ZOEgirl (album)

Background

After the ZOEgirl group was formed, they immediately began to work on their self-titled album at a fast pace. They temporarily separated during the Christmas holidays of 1999 to pray about the album and the message they should record on it. After this, they realized that they wanted to talk about their relationships with God and the romantic relationships that people may face in life. Producers remarked that paper, drafting the debut album's content, was scattered all around the studio.

When the album's musical content was finished, ZOEgirl traveled to New York City to meet with a stylist for fashion suggestions regarding a photo shoot. After they agreed on what to wear, they traveled to Los Angeles, California for an entire photo shoot day. It is unknown whether the music video was also recorded in this city, but the similarities between the album art and the music video seem to suggest this to be true.

Release

ZOEgirl was released to retail stores on October 15, 2000. It included a link to ZOEgirlOnline.com which served as the group's website. The music video for "I Believe" was released around that time and could be streamed online via this site. A higher quality version of the video was also released on the VHS cassette of WOW Hits 2001.

The album peaked at No. 173 on the Billboard 200, No. 11 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian Charts and No. 8 on the Billboard Heatseeker's Chart. As of October 2003, over 350 000 copies of the debut record were sold.

Reception

ZOEgirl got negative to average reviews. Jesus Freak Hideout noted that those who "like to dance but really don't like the secular junk (Britney Spears) [...] will want to check ZOEgirl out." Meanwhile, Christian Music Today pointed out that the album "still didn't seem to measure up to mainstream quality songwriting and production." This was echoed by American Culture Scope, stating that the "sweet and sour" album was "tasteless" and that "groups such as SHeDAISY [&] Dixie Chicks [are] much better."

Nearly a decade after its release, ZOEgirl admits that their debut album was "bashed" by critics. The album remained on the Nielsen SoundScan Top 40 Christian Album chart for nearly a year after its release.

Track listing

All the songs from ZOEgirl's debut album were written by at least one band member. Some songs were written with the help of non-members.

Song by song

"I Believe" is the album's first track and lead single. It is written solely by Alisa Childers, during "a time of praise and worship […as…] an anthem […for…] all denominations and backgrounds". A music video was made for this song. Additionally, the track is a playable song on the Original Dance Praise video game. This single peaked at No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart for Christian radio.

"Anything Is Possible", another single, has "haunty storming sound effects and a fast pace beat". It peaked at No. 8 on Christian CHR.

"Suddenly" is a song featured in Dance Praise.

"Give Me One Reason" is a song written solely by ZOEgirl. It is about a Christian girl who "realizes that […] she was previously leading [a sinful life that] is not right." The lyrics were considered by critics to be "sophisticated, well worked on".

"Living For You" is a worship song. Like "I Believe", it peaked at No. 4 on Christian radio's Adult Contemporary chart.

"No You" is a slow-paced, tender song.

"Little Did I Know" is a song with a country-themed verse. It features an explosive bubblegum pop chorus.

"Stop Right There" is a song similar to, but more upbeat and less popular than, "Give Me One Reason".

"Upside Down" discusses "the shallowness of pop culture" or, more accurately, mainstream media. It also talks about materialism and overconsumption.

"Live Life" is a song.

"Constantly", the final track, is written by Kristin Schweain with the help of Michael Quinlan. Schweain says: "[Constantly] most deeply ministers to me [as…] the cry of my heart many times. […] most people can relate to pleading with God to once again forgive and not give up on them. How can He[…?] The one constant […] in my life is God unfailing love, despite my fears and all my faults."

Related products

Several products related to this album were released.

Book

A book, titled Backstage Exclusive, was released in 2001, featuring full-colour photos and facts from ZOEgirl.

Other music

The following remixes can be found on Mix of Life:

Additionally, the following remixes can be found on Life's limited edition single.

Karaoke tracks were also released. Volume one of ZOEgirl's Open Mic Karaoke disc series features "I Believe" and "Anything Is Possible".

Video games

Original Dance Praise, released in 2005, featured two songs from ZOEgirl's debut album: "I Believe" and "Suddenly".