Sara Groves

Item: All Right Here
Author: Brian A. Smith

All Right Here

(2002)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Spotify

Label Sponge RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2002

adult contemporary ccm singer-songwriter

One of the worst moments of last year's Dove Awards was the announcement of the Best New Artist Award, which went to Zoegirl. A much more deserving artist, on a barely known label, came out of nowhere to produce Conversations, one of the best "CCM" albums to come out by a new artist in quite some time. That performer is Sara Groves.

Now Groves has returned with the follow up to Conversations, entitled All Right Here. The question here is if Groves would fall into the same category as many artists who seem to come from obscurity into semi-stardom: will the follow up be rushed to capitalize on her new-found fame, and suffer musically as a result?

Thankfully, the answer is an emphatic "No". All Right Here is an amazing work, with songs that center both on Christ and on dealing with everyday life, on relationships with friends and family, and on dealing with our own personal shortcomings. Sara Groves writes most of her own songs, and they are well thought out lyrically, with a fine group of musicians backing her -- she may be this decade's female counterpart to Rich Mullins.

The current AC single from the album is "First Song that I Sing", a tune about being focused on God from the moment the day begins until going to sleep that evening. "Less Like Scars" is more powerful musically, and probably will hit the radio soon -- it seems to draw upon personal tragedy in the light of September 11th and deals with bouncing back:

It's been a hard year
But I'm climbing out of the rubble
These lessons are hard
Healing changes are subtle...

"Every Minute" focuses on true friendship, and about loving and being loved despite our flaws. "Fly" is a love song to Groves' husband. "Just One More Thing" deals with putting people ahead of our busy-ness, and prioritizing love over accomplishment.

Groves is in fine voice -- her alto lends itself well to the AC mode, but also ranges into Americana on "All Right Here" and "You Did That for Me," a Pierce Pettis song. She would not be out of place singing either vocal part of an Indigo Girls song. The band shines, complementing her voice and never overpowering it. The presence of jacks-of-all-trades Phil Madeira and Matt Patrick should be noted -- almost always a sign of quality.

There are several other songs of note here -- "Tornado" and "Maybe There's a Loving God," a song about searching for normalcy and happiness, come to mind. Without giving anything more away, though, I can recommend this album highly. It will appeal to both the adult contemporary crowd, as well as the folk lovers, but also to people who just appreciate a well conceived, thoughtful album without frills.

4 tocks