Questions about the safety issues aside (should Tarr, aka Rock & Roll Girl, be driving?), it's symbolic of the turn the all-'tween girl group has taken with their sophomore release, which features four original songs and a bouncy, yet family-friendly vibe. And the nine-girl group will need to fasten their seatbelts: "Road Trip," which hits stores Tuesday, is only the beginning of a new phase in the MetroWest singers' careers.

There will be a national tour, which will be recorded for the release of a DVD possibly later this year. Their first video, "Let's Get Together," is already streaming at Yahoo Kids! and they will be featured as part of the Girl Scouts of America's 95th anniversary celebration.

And their new manager is an old hand at managing young talent: Michael Pagnotta, president of Reach Media, previously guided the careers of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, in addition to working with Depeche Mode, The Cure and George Michael. Original manager Samantha Hammel, who chose the girls from her roster of local child talent, continues to work with the group locally.

"I loved the fact that (Rounder Records) conceived of these girls as characters," Pagnotta said. "Young girls tend to be aspirational, but young girls are also looking for something they can relate to. And once I met with the girls, it was obvious to me that the group began organically. The girls are real friends, they really are their characters and that's what the fans are responding to."

The lineup includes Sudbury residents Tarr, 14, Rock and Roll Girl; Alex Bilbo, 14, Fashion Girl; Jacqueline Marie Laviolette, 14, All-Star Girl; Kate Barker, 12, Party Girl; Jessica Bonner, 13, Boho Girl; Gina Miele, 13, Urban Girl; and Zoe Virant, 9, Preppy Girl. Carly Grayson, 14, Glamour Girl, is from Westborough; and Crystal Lake Evans, 12, Country Girl, is from Weston.

Pagnotta entered the picture about a year ago after the release of Girl Authority's self-titled debut. He had previously been impressed with Rounder Records' work with They Might Be Giants and the call from Rounder came at an especially auspicious time.

"I just within days stopped working with the Olsen twins. I wasn't sure I would want to work again on the 'tween side of things," Pagnotta said.

He quickly changed his mind after looking over Girl Authority, whose debut reached No. 5 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and No. 8 on Billboard's Top Kid Audio - not bad for a group whose limited tour was only within New England.

Since coming on board, Pagnotta has fine-tuned the Girl Authority concept. One thing he immediately knew: "Road Trip" could not be simply another album of covers. That is territory already covered, so to speak, by Kidz Bop and Disney.

"It all really begins with the music," he said. "It was obvious to me that if we were going to be regarded differently, we had to get some original material on the album."

Luckily, Pagnotta has connections, and he used them freely. "Let's Get Together," the electro-pop first single from the album, was penned by Vince Clarke, a founding member of Depeche Mode, Yaz and Erasure.

"Vince Clarke thought it would be fun and he offered up 'Let's Get Together,' which was actually written years ago," Pagnotta said, noting the recording includes the keyboard riff from Clarke's first hit, "Just Can't Get Enough." "He never wrote it with this kind of an audience in mind, but he was good enough to allow some tweaking to the lyrics."

Another original, "This Is My Day," was written by Tanya Donelly, formerly of the Throwing Muses, Belly and The Breeders, whose daughter is a fan of the group.

"An effort was made to choose material that was family-friendly and appropriate for a 12-year-old girl to sing," Pagnotta said. "We didn't want to make a sappy record. We wanted to make a good record. What you don't want is people listening to it and saying 'what were they thinking, having her sing that?' It's tough to go out there and find material that doesn't have a lot of adult content."

Having a young voice on a cover, however, can add some poignancy, he added, pointing to the song "Reach," originally performed by Gloria Estefan, as an example. "Shine," originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper in 2004, was personally suggested by Lauper herself, he added.

"We want girl empowerment without being sappy," he said. "A lot of people think kids music has to be terrible. And it doesn't."

Other songs include Madonna's "Holiday," Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway," the frequently covered "Dancin' in the Street," the Pointer Sisters' "We Are Family" and an original theme song, "Girl Authority." Each girl sings lead in at least one song.

The nine girls all bring something different to the group, Pagnotta said. He acknowledged that some of the girls' voices are better than others but noted there's a need for balance - some may sing better, some may dance better, all are what makes Girl Authority pop.

"If you want a group of American Idols, we could have done that," Pagnotta said. "What we have is actually more traditional, more in the way that real groups come together. Some of these girls have been working together for years. They are real friends. Pop music is about more than just the music and with these girls, you get that."

The challenge with Girl Authority? The audience is between Noggin and MTV, without an obvious video outlet. Girl Authority did receive some exposure last year with commercials on Nickelodeon and appearances around New England, but Pagnotta hopes to expand on that. To that end, Girl Authority has recorded its first music video to "Let's Get Together," which is streaming exclusively on Yahoo Kids! (http://kids.yahoo.com/music/index) through Tuesday and additional video content will be added to their Web site, www.girlauthority.com.

A TV ad campaign is also planned on Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Discovery Kids and Cartoon Network and special editions of "Road Trip," complete with extra tracks and a limited edition DVD, will be sold at Target and Wal-Mart.

Girl Authority's target market is unusual in the current music world: the bulk of 'tween music is still bought in stores rather than downloaded off iTunes, he noted.

"It's still an extremely physical experience for our audience," he said. "They want to have the CD, they want to have the booklet in their hands. You can't really accomplish that on a computer screen."

Contact reporter Jennifer Lord at 508-626-3880 or jlord@cnc.com.