Sara Groves - 'The Other Side of Something'

The third release from Sara Groves shows her own growth while keeping with her traditional honest and straight-forward style. If you like your pop to have a little folk-flair, then you'd do well to buy this CD.

In typical Sara Groves fashion, The Other Side of Something delivers honesty without adding a great deal of technical flair to "pump up" the music. Of the lyrics, she says, "Spiritually, it's where I was". "I felt beat up, but I returned to my corner. Now I'm rested and ready to go. And I feel more sure of my call, more confident in what I'm doing."

Of the eleven songs on the album, six of them were stand-outs in my opinion. The upbeat sound of "The One Thing I Know" is a strong contrast to the dark but building beat of "Jeremiah". "Roll to the Middle" is one of those songs that is a good tune to do some deep thinking to. Despite a somewhat repetitive musical beginning, "What I Thought I Wanted" turns into a really great song. "Esther" gives you a nice musical twist behind a powerful story and "Boxer" is just an all-around great song.

Sara has a sound not unlike Jewel and Sara McLaughlan. Not being fans of either one made it difficult for me to really get into this CD, but the fact that the style is not one of my personal favorites doesn't take away from the fact that this is a good, strong release. The lyrics are as deep and moving as they come and Sara has a strong voice. The production value that Charlie Peacock and Nate Sabin bring to the table is A-1 and if you like this style of music, you won't go wrong with this CD.