Reviewed by David Faulkner

During their shortish history ZOEgirl conquered church-going America with music skilfully pitched at teenage girls. It would be easy to dismiss as sanitising the girl-pop phenomenon for Christian ears, but it's done so well. The self-titled debut has plenty of highlights, climaxing in the closing track "Constantly", which would be a number one ballad in an alternative universe. By the time of the follow-up 'Life', the girls have been styled by a less conservative fashion consultant. They no longer look like their own mothers, the music is more daring, and a song like "Waiting" contains the classic acoustic-guitar-meets-dance-beats mix so beloved of chart acts. Lyrics cover some teen concerns like dating and eating issues, but noticeably omit the kind of justice concerns many British teens care about. My only concern is that these CDs date from 2000 and 2001, before Girls Aloud were even formed, and that's a long time in the teen pop market. Beyond that, this is a classy bargain reissue.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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