When you hear the name "Superchick," you might picture a group of female singers who keeps their songs simple, shallow and stereotypical. But this Superchick brings a whole new perspective to the girl band arena. Superchick was intended to be composed of all ladies, but they had to settle for only two and recruited five guys to join the mix as well. The group members come from differing backgrounds and even have a heated rivalry within the circle about their two favorite pro football teams - the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.

The two sisters in the band, Tricia and Melissa, had very little involvement in music until they became part of Superchick, while keyboard player and guitarist Max has composed some stock music for NBC programs such as "The Today Show," "Meet the Press" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Superchick has managed to put their pigskin passions and other differences aside to produce a third project and continue touring America bringing messages of faith, hope and love to young children, teenagers and adults.

Superchick has always written and recorded songs that deal with tough issues faced in everyday life, especially among teenagers. The group's most recent project, "Beauty from Pain," follows that same trend as the band brings us its biggest sounding record to date. The group has already seen two of its songs - "Pure" and "We Live" - rise to the number one spot on Christian music charts, and for good reason. "We Live" communicates powerful lyrics about how precious life can be with the lyrics, "There is a man who waits for the tests to see if the cancer has spread yet/And now he asks, 'So why did I wait to live till it was time to die?'/If I could have the time back how I'd live/Life is such a gift."

The CD is full of catchy tunes including opening song "Anthem," and the mellow yet compelling title track. Songs like "Bowling Ball" and "Stories," which features a special appearance by Toby Mac, infuse the album with energy. The members of Superchick have not been restricted to the Christian arena in their career. The band's music has been featured in movies ("Legally Blonde 2," "The Glass House") and on television programs (CBS' "Joan of Arcadia," MTV's "The Real World").

Though past Superchick albums "Karaoke Superstar" and "Last One Picked" certainly warrant a spin, "Beauty from Pain" sees the band taking a huge stride in musical maturity, which will hopefully translate to the stage during the group's Feb. 16 Cedar Rapids performance.

Danette Karlsen is heard weekends on The New 89.1 The Spirit (AM 850).

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Superchick

'Beauty from Pain'

Inpop

***** (out of *****)