Sara Groves was born Sara Lee Colbaugh on September 10,
1972. She is married to Troy
Groves. The couple have three
children. Sara received a Bachelor of
Science degree in History and English from Evangel University in Springfield,
Missouri in 1994. She was a high school
teacher in Minnesota for four years. Her
debut album was 1998’s PAST THE WISHING.
Two of my favorite albums of hers are 2005’s ADD TO THE BEAUTY and
2011’s INVISIBLE EMPIRES. In 2008 she
released O HOLY NIGHT (INO Records/Sponge Records). Musicians appearing include: Zach Miller, Ken
Lewis, Troy Groves, Aaron Fabbrini, and Tyler Burkum. Ben Shive serves as the producer.
This Christmas album begins with ‘Star of Wonder’, a short,
gentle track that makes the following request: “Star of wonder/Star of
Light/Star of royal beauty bright/Guide us/Oh, guide us/Won’t you guide
us?” ‘It’s True’ was penned by Sara and
starts and ends with her son Toby reading in a cute voice from The Jesus
Storybook Bible. This pretty song
reminds us just how good the Good News is: “In your heart you hope it’s
true/Though you hold no expectation/In the deepest part of you/There’s an open
hesitation/But it’s true/Kingdoms and crowns/The God who came down to find
you/It’s true/Angels on high/Sing through the night ‘Alleluia’”.
‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear’ takes us back to when Christ
was so wonderfully born: “’Peace on the earth, goodwill to men/From heaven’s
all gracious King’/The world in solemn stillness lay/To hear the angels, to
hear them sing.../Sing, Sing, Sing/Still through broken skies they come/With
peaceful wings unfurled/And still their heavenly music floats/O’er all the
weary world/Above the sad and lowly plains/They bend on hovering wing/And ever
over Babel sounds/The blessed angels, the angels sing”. A soft, newly imagined version of ‘O Holy
Night’ follows. These words from it,
speak of the transforming power of Christ: “Truly He taught us to love one
another/His law is love and His gospel is peace/Chains shall He break, for the
slave is our brother/And in His Name all oppression will cease.../O Lord when
You came to the earth/O my soul, my soul felt it’s worth/O my soul, my soul
felt a thrill of hope”.
‘To Be With You’ is a soothing folk song written by Sara,
Ben Shive, and Andy Gullahorn. It
reflects on the atmosphere of Christmas Eve: “We set out milk and cookies/The
kids are quick to bed/They know St. Nick is coming/And nothing need be said/We
gather by the fire/Reminiscing by it’s light/The kids will be up early/But it’s
hard to say goodnight”. A subdued
version of ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’ is up next. Jeff Taylor plays accordion and John Mark
Painter plays trumpet. It includes these
lyrics: “Angels we have heard on high/Sweetly singing o’er the plains/And the
mountains in reply/Echoing their joyous strains/’Gloria, Gloria, Gloria/In
excelsis deo’”.
‘Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ includes these well
wishes for one and all: “May your heart be full of gladness/And the peace that
covers sadness/May your joy be overflowing/And your many blessings growing/May
you have the time you’ve longed for/With the people that you love/May you have
yourself a Merry Christmas now”. ‘Toy
Packaging’ was written by Sara Groves and Ben Shive. This bouncy pop song is a humorous offering:
“Nothing makes me lose my cool like/Toy packaging.../I guess it’s anger
management/Toy packaging.../I’m drawing up a battle plan/To extricate this
robot man/My self-esteem is in the can/Toy packaging.../I hope to have it by
tonight/Nevermind this dynamite/Toy packaging”.
Sara, Ben Gowell, and Aaron Fabbrini wrote ‘Peace
Peace’. It takes a realistic approach
message-wise: “Peace, Peace/It’s hard to find/Trouble comes like a wrecking
ball/To your peace of mind/And all that worry, you can’t leave behind you/All
your hopes and fears (3X)/Are met in Him tonight”. The ballad ‘A Cradle in Bethlehem’ is
decidedly about the nativity: “A mother tonight is rocking/A cradle in
Bethlehem/While wise men follow through the dark/The star that beckons them/A
mother tonight is rocking/A cradle in Bethlehem/’A little child will lead
them’/The prophets said of old’”.
‘Silent Night’ is a timeless lullaby: “Silent night, holy
night/All is calm, all is bright/Round yon Virgin Mother and Child/Holy Infant
so tender and mild/Sleep in heavenly peace/Sleep in heavenly peace”. An acappella version of ‘Go Tell it on the
Mountain’ closes things off. It urges us
to tell others about the glorious Incarnation: “Go tell it on the mountain/Over
the hills and everywhere/Go tell it on the mountain/That Jesus Christ is born”.
In the liner notes one can find the following: “We would
like to dedicate O HOLY NIGHT to our friends at International Justice Mission
who have helped us to see that the slave is our brother, and that there is hope
against oppression...” Sara Groves is
right at the top of the list in the CCM world when it comes to artistry and
creativity. O HOLY NIGHT is no
exception. Several holiday classics are
here set to new tunes and melodies, all the while remaining reverent. The original songs are well-composed. Most of the album is easy listening in
nature. Sara’s voice is warm and
inviting. This album is by no means
Christian rock. Fans of Sarah McLachlan
and Michelle Tumes should buy this record.
I’m rating O HOLY NIGHT 90%. For
more info visit: www.saragroves.com and
www.ijm.org.