Produced by
Steve Hindalong (
Leeland, City on a Hill,
Sixpence None the Richer), award-winning CCM singer/songwriter
Sara Groves' tenth studio album,
Invisible Empires, opens with “Miracles,” a lush, slow-building, midtempo ballad that vaguely echoes
Sarah McLachlan's “Possession.” Blessed with a voice to match the ethereal music she conjures up,
Groves' piano-based songs of love, redemption, and everyday trial and error seek a higher power, yet reside in the real world, which is something that has consistently set her apart from the rest of the CCM crowd since her 2001 debut. Her willingness to tackle subjects other than textbook worship clichés shines brightest when she chooses to merge the two, as she does on the soaring “Eyes on the Prize,” which fuses a civil rights anthem into an uplifting call to non-violent, spiritual arms.
Groves' penchant for capturing the cathartic weight of intimate moments is on full display here, and her winning melodies and effortless delivery only help to the sweeten the pot. ~ James Christopher Monger