Inpop Records' sister-fronted band Superchick followed up 700,000 career albums sold and 70 film, television, and video game placements with the premiere of its boldest, most unapologetic project to date, 2008's appropriately-titled Rock What You Got.
Three years in the making, Rock What You Got came on the heels of Superchick's most successful album ever, Beauty From Pain, which landed three No. 1 radio singles, including "We Live" and "Stand In The Rain." With this album, Superchick 'rocks what they've got' and reinvents itself with a more progressive, in-your-face sound the band dubbed 'rock-o-tronic.'
Seeking out world changers in the lost corners of a generation, Superchick noisily challenges the status quo, while journaling the band members' battles with depression and cancer in the quieter moments of the record. Produced by the band's own Max Hsu (Superchick, tobyMac, newsboys), Rock What You Got features the stand-out title track in addition to the songs "Breathe," "Crawl," and "Cross The Line," for which Superchick's spring 2008 headlining tour was named, among others.
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Superchic[k] [Rock What You Got]| Posted October 07, 2008 [MAIN REVIEW]
The world will always put you down, but Superchick is back again to tell you that with God’s help, you can overcome the world.
This band has been featured in movies, commercials, television shows and magazines, and has headlined and co-headlined on more tours than I can count. They are continuously touching the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike with messages of encouragement and hope. There could never be too much Superchick in the world.
“Rock What You Got” is album number five for these innovated artists. Superchick once again jumps right in shouting out to the world that you are beautiful and strong. The album is filled with encouragement about getting up when you are down, becoming a leader, not following trends, being alive, and starting your own revolutions.
The title track, “Rock What You Got,” dedicates the music to “the beaten down / The ones who lost their rock and roll… / Welcome misfits, orphans, all / The ones who feel they don’t belong / you were made to rock, so stand tall / Go rock the world and prove them wrong.”
Something listeners might not realize right away is that many of the songs from Rock What You Got are based on examples from the Bible. ”Hey Hey” talks about standing up for what you believe in. “Some people you can never please… / But I won’t bow down, even if the whole world thinks I’m crazy… / Why kiss the feet of the people who kick you / When you can be anything that you want to?” Ancient Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, anyone? No bowing down to anyone or anything but the one true God. Superchick member Max Hsu (keyboards, DJ) said in a press release that “Actual rebellion takes a lot more courage than appearing to be rebellious.”
“Alive” is the kind of song you’ll want to rock out with in your car. It is a get up and dance kind of sound that tells listeners that pain is what lets you know you are still alive. “Don’t give me drugs, no Novocaine / I must be alive ‘cause I still feel pain / We were born with wings / We were made to fly…” There are a few unexpected surprises along the way too… see if you can spot Dr. Frankenstein yelling, “It’s alive, it’s alive!”
I don’t want to give away every song, but “Rock What You Got” has a lot to offer its listeners. The music itself is very eclectic. Overall it’s pop rock with a few energy metal rifts early on, but songs such as “Breathe” and “Crawl (Carry Me Through)” slow things down with some reflective melodies.
“Stand in the Rain” closes out the album with some awesome instrumentals and inspiring lyrics. It is a scenario about a girl who is lost, feels alone, and is afraid to cry because one she starts, the tears will keep falling like rain. But when fears are engulfing you, the song says it is time to “Stand in the rain / Stand your ground / Stand up when it’s all crashing down / You stand through the pain / You won’t drown / And one day what’s lost can be found…” This is definitely an album to listen to when you are feeling down or alone and need a reminder that God will be there to hold your hand or carry you.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I have never been disappointed with Superchick, and this album continues to rock my world. Superchick has produced another staple for the music library of every young guy and girl, but especially all the girls out there. My favorite thing about this band is that they are positive. There is nothing superficial about the message, music, or artists themselves. They are real people out to spread God’s message that He has great plans for everyone’s life. Superchick knows that life most certainly will be hard, but is a constant reminder that we live for One who has already “overcome the world.”
Rating: 9.0 out of 10 (90%, A-)
Review written by: Liz Zelinski | Review can also be found here.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from ChristianMusicReview.org. Click here to visit ChristianMusicReview.org today!
THE PERFECT SUMMER SOUNDTRACK| Posted September 29, 2008
Sweeping piano melodies, haunting strings, ethereal vocals… Wait, this is a rock band? Yep. Superchick is back. After three years void of new studio content, the girl-powered innovators have emerged with an album so good it virtually demands listening. Don’t get the wrong idea, though, they’re here to rock. Tracks “Rock What You Got,” “Alive” and “Cross the Line” rely on the hefty guitar riffs that Superchick is happy to provide. On “So Beautiful,” the Brock sisters give girls everywhere another anthem with lyrics like “We were meant to be more than these shadows of girls,” backed by a gutsy guitar that definitely means business.
Creative genius and member Max Hsu dons the role of producer on this album, and he somehow outdoes himself on every track. His meshing of crisp vocal stylings looped through orchestral arrangements is flawless, and it reaches a crescendo on “Stand in the Rain (symphonic mix).” Here, Hsu proves Superchick has evolved well beyond its “Barlow Girl” days by masterfully mixing an urgent and beautiful vocal with soaring strings and a piano solo that marks this track as true art. This project will surely become the band’s defining moment, and listeners will be hitting repeat on tracks like “Hey Hey” all summer long. –Grace Cartwright
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
What Superchic[k]'s got| Posted June 19, 2008
‘We believe that every person regardless of age, gender, size or any other reason you can come up with, was created on purpose and for a purpose… Every person has greatness in them and something special and unique to offer the world… We have a world out there that is a mess and looking for someone or something to give them a reason to live… You could be the next Mother Teresa that shows millions love or a janitor that shows one person love. It's not in the big or in the small it's in the doing...' – Superchic[k]
It’s been nearly three years and three hit singles since Superchic[k]’s last, and most successful, album Beauty from Pain. Always musically strong weather from the excellent and infectious beats to Trisha Brock’s star vocals their latest album Rock what you Got is poised to bring all that along with their lyrics about challenging the status quo.
Leading off the much anticipated CD is the title track “Rock what you got” which is a rock song which doesn’t flatter their usually cutting edge music, as the rock music is amateurish, the chorus is repetitive, and Brock’s vocal’s a little whiney. When it comes to “alive” much of the same applies, very repetitive beat and refrain, whiney vocals, and a tune which makes it seem like Superchic[k] is a debut band rather than a very accomplished one. The first radio single “hey hey” starts awkwardly with the basic stanza and the wimpy whispering, but with the infectious beat of the upbeat chorus it quickly turns “hey hey” into a favorite. The album slows down somewhat as the style of music reverts into classical Superchic[k] on “hold” which uses a light pop rock tune where Brocks voice shine. “Breathe” is a acoustic song where it’s mainly Brocks vocals and the piano; the end result is a solid song which brings balance to the formula of the CD. It’s like “So beautiful” is taken right out of Barlow Girls “million voices”, the rock style of music is similar and so is the chorus of singers in the background, the only thing different is there is a little techno.
The album really jumps into gear in “cross the line” which starts and doesn’t stop, as the really upbeat music is very smooth and almost punk/rock is solid. The opening verse in “one more” sounds very muffled at first, as if to disuse the rock outburst that is to come, and when it comes it’s in the form of a repetitive (but impressive along with the bridge) rock song that is heavier than a former Superchic[k] song “it’s on”. The album doesn’t end with “Crawl (Carry Me Through)”, but it could very well be the ending with the format of the album. Sounding like a slightly weaker version of “beauty from pain”, “Crawl” is a light acoustic rock song which is solid. Previous smash hit “stand in the rain” is featured on the end of Rock what you Got, the medium emotional rock is amazing, although the song is very unnecessary for the album, especially the ending piano bit. The album is thrown into a pointless, but fun, last minute electric guitar frenzy (“Dave Ghazarian: Guitar Hero”), where in one part of the noise there is a bit that sounds exactly like Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
It seems that when Superchic[k] is in a Christian outlet, they are more than ready to talk about their faith in God, but when it comes to actually saying something to their ever increasing mainstream audience they shy away. What kind of a message is Superchic[k] conveying on their title track? ‘rock what you got and don’t let them stop you’; wow deep message. How about “alive”? ‘I'm alive, I'm alive/that's what I say/I'm alive and gonna live today’, a great theological song. “Hey hey”? ‘Why kiss the feet of the people who kick you /When you can be anything that you want to’ very impressive. The first three songs are about being alive, rocking what you got, and not following the status quo and saying “hey hey”, but that’s okay because so many Christians don’t take a stand for their faith so good message right? Wrong, because there is absolutely no reference to Christ or any higher power mentioned. “Hold” doesn’t state who is the ‘you’ in the song, but following the trend, it is probably not God.
The song “breathe” doesn’t specify much, and “so beautiful” is probably not talking about outer beauty, but inward, but still there is no reason behind why there is a need for an army anyway. Just when you think “cross the line” is an opening for Superchic[k] to say something eternal (‘everyone dies but not everyone lives’) it goes on to talk about not succumbing to the natural order of things without telling the listeners why we should or who was the one that dies and rose again. “One more” is pathetic, but the bright lyrical spot in the album is when Superchic[k] asks the Lord not to forget then, but as deep songs go it’s still pretty shallow. Although “stand In the rain” is held in such high regard the song really doesn’t say anything; just about standing through the pain (nowhere is God mentioned).
Overall the music is better than solid, most of it is cutting edge, and while a few songs are a little cheesy, the album as a whole is strong. Maybe not quite as good as Beauty from Pain (especially the 1.1 version), but certainly not a anything to be ashamed of. The real problem is with the lyrics. It’s clear that Superchic[k] needs to stop recycling the “be strong, “your life is worth living”, and do something with your life”, and just move onto something new and fresh, as it seems like half of the messages on the album are the same (just with different beats). Superchic[k] is all about taking a stand and not conforming to this world, but when it comes to God and his values Rock what you Got does just that.
4/5| Posted September 13, 2011
Superchick's latest album, Rock What You Got, feels like a bit of a step backwards from their excellent Beauty From Pain album. It sounds more like their first two albums, a mix of pop punk and electronic, but it still retains a bit of the rock edge from Beauty From Pain. The songwriting also suffers a bit by transferring back to the band's early years. But besides that, it's still a fun album to listen to.
A new album is in the works and I can't wait to see where Superchick goes from here.
rocking out| Posted April 19, 2010
I really enjoyed this album. It encourages one to be bold and live life boldly in the song cross the line ("everybody dies but not everyone lives"). They have a god mix of louder songs and quieter more reflective songs. Hold and Crawl are songs that emphasize that even in our weakness we have someone to cling to: Jesus. They also reminded us that God is with us ("if I had to crawl, well You'd crawl too. I stumble and I fall, carry me through, the wonder of it all is You see me through"). So Beautiful was a song that united girls as one force and reminds us that we are beautiful. One More encourages perseverance and pressing on. I felt that this album brought up a lot of good points and encourages many Biblical ideas. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find them.
the cd| Posted April 12, 2010
this cd is one of my fav. this band is one of the best.i love almost all of there songs on this cd. they rock hard. they are the best. if you like hard but not to hard rock this is one band you should listen to. love them and i know some of you would to.
Not My Favorite....| Posted June 22, 2009
but I still love this! I was waiting for this album to come out once I found they were making a new CD. These songs are amazing. No joke, these guys have skill. I love every single song on the album. Great lyrics and amazing sound.
Awesome Cd!| Posted June 06, 2009
This cd is one you can get addicted to. With its catchy beats and tunes along with outstandin lyrics its one you will enjoy. I certainly enjoyed listeninin to it. Rock What You Got is the best on this cd in my opinion. I like how they did Stand In the Rain although its bein a lil on the over-used side along with We Live. The very last song is fantastic! Over-all pretty excellent cd that you will enjoy and want to listen to again and again. i highly recommend it :]]
They Changed A Lot| Posted November 18, 2008
For me superchick has changed a lot! In the first album they were more pop and now the songs sound like the same!! I miss the old superchick! The best song is alive!
Rock What You Got| Posted November 12, 2008
YES!! I was so ecstatic the band made another (amazing) album. This is my favorite CD by Superchick yet. I loves every single song. Definitely worth your money. My fave songs were: Hold, Rock What You Got, One More, and Hey Hey.
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