Originally intended for release almost a year ago, Stacie Orrico's second album is here at last, and one hardly knows where to begin. Just when things were falling into place for her sophomore disc (then titled Say It Again) to arrive in stores, that plan was shelved when Virgin Records suddenly expressed interest in promoting her. A mainstream distribution deal and one year later, several new tracks have been added or replaced on Stacie Orrico, she's making waves on TRL, and she stands poised to take her music to a whole new audience.

Questions like "has she abandoned her faith?" or "is she selling-out for money?" are ones that this reviewer has zero patience for. Either jump on the train already or crawl back inside that cave of ignorance and seal the doors shut for another twenty years. Stacie Orrico and others like her who are taking their message outside of the walls of the church are the future of Christian Music, and they're certainly in a position to make a greater impact on society than anyone that's staying inside these walls. Doesn't mean that these artists shouldn't be held accountable, but it also doesn't mean we should pick apart every move they make that doesn't fall within our expectations.

Stepping off the soapbox... let's take a look at this hotly-anticipated album. Having heard both the original version and the final, it's a no-brainer to say that the additional year of recording, planning, and marketing -- not to mention Virgin's sizable production budget -- has only benefited the album. She sticks to the r&b thing heard prominently on Genuine, but the sound is more refined and confident this time. The album's danceable grooves and infectious melodies will have you happily bumping along for hours, with the newly-added material obviously tailor-made for hopeful radio success.

As for the album's much-debated lyrical content, it focuses on topics most teenagers dwell on daily, like pining after that certain guy or trying to get over someone after a break-up (heard on the impossible-to-resist first single, "Stuck" as well as "Bounce Back"), although there are heavier ideas addressed too, such as the depth of God's grace to end guilt over the past ("Maybe I Won't Look Back"), life after death ("Hesistation"), or even a simple explanation of the Gospel message ("Truth").

It's way to early to properly guage the impact Stacie Orrico is going to have, but Virgin and Forefront have obviously worked very hard to give Orrico the tools that she needs to live out her faith in front of a massive audience. Here's hoping it works. At the very least, it's an undeniably fun album.