I went to Best Buy to purchase the Step Up to the Microphone project by Newsboys, but ran across If I left the Zoo by JOC. I don't regret the choice, just the fact that I didn't have more than $15. This CD is another stellar effort by JOC. I really need to listen to it on a deeper lyrical level to understand everything that is being said. Musically, this CD is genius. These guys have proven that they can move from one musical style to another and execute them brilliantly. The only reason this CD didn't get 4 stars resides in the lyrical content. I have no doubt that they are trying to tell a great message in their songs, and I believe I will understand it by and by, but I'm concerned about the highly esoteric, poetic flavor of IF I left the Zoo. The Ist CD had such an unabashed, this-is-how-it-is feel that seems to have "degraded" since Much Afraid. That's all I have to say. As I stated before, I need to listen to this CD to get the full message behind these riddles.