She’s the consummate storyteller, a singer-songwriter who is equal parts observer and autobiographer. Sara Groves has been sharing her heart and baring her soul through her music for 15 years. The Collection celebrates her career thus far, culling the best and brightest from her 10 studio albums. The two-disc set includes 23 songs from her previous album history as well as four new tracks. Of course, it’s no easy feat narrowing down her esteemed catalog. From the first strains of her 1998 debut, Past the Wishing, to the confessional Fireflies & Songs and the award-winning Add to the Beauty, there are mini-masterpieces everywhere. Tracks like “You Cannot Lose My Love,” “All Right Here” and “Roll to the Middle” testify to her gift as a poet, whether she’s talking about parenthood, the difficulties of marriage or the loves and losses that shape who we are. It’s no wonder she’s garnered three Dove Award nods, been named CCM’s Artist of the Year and last year, Christianity Today named her one of their women to watch. “I made a map of my life on my 40th birthday and remembered in broad strokes the first 20 years of my life and then the second,” says Sara. “I was amazed that there was rarely just one monolithic line, plummeting and rising, but that in the darker hours, there was almost always a counter-rise – this hard thing was happening. Coming-of-age vulnerability alongside finding genuine, life-giving mentors (and authors), young adult angst alongside finding a voice, marriage joy alongside marriage pain, birth alongside depression, sin and self alongside truly breathtaking revelations of grace, tearing relational missteps alongside burgeoning life-long friendships. You know what I’m talking about because when I go out and sing, you come and tell me about your plummeting and rising and these songs that mark each turn in the line.” Groves is able to explore universal issues and beyond-the-basic spiritual truths in a way few others can. Her sound ranges from stripped down singer-songwriter fare to thoughtful pop tunes and piano-driven ballads, but her music always has its heart in helping us figure out who we are meant to be and the intersection of faith and life. “Here, we have done our best to compile a group of songs to follow that line and 15 years of making music. It’s our way of saying thank you for listening…we are profoundly grateful for each of you.”
