Throughout her career, critics have praised gifted songstress Sara Groves for her compelling yet intimate and honest lyrics. On October 18, the critically acclaimed artist will reach a career milestone as she unveils her tenth record Invisible Empires.
Cultivating a new relationship with producer Steve Hindalong (Leeland, City On A Hill & Sixpence None The Richer) the duo created Invisible Empires, Groves’ decade-marker album with her label Fair Trade Services.Invisible Empires is the follow-up to Fireflies and Songs, which was named Christianity Today’s 2009 “Album of the Year.” The singer/songwriter describes the album as a process of sorting through the layers of life, gaining a new perspective and finding the truth.
“Fireflies is very much like a girl and her piano,” says Groves, “and I knew this record was going to be a little bit bigger than a girl and her piano. When you’re raising children you are keenly aware of how the times that you grew up in are vastly different from the times they are growing up in and a lot of this record is reflecting on those differences in an effort to identify what never changes, what will always be true.”
Radio listeners will get a sneak peak of what is yet to come from her current single, the gospel-inspired “Eyes on the Prize,” one of the eleven tracks featured on Invisible Empires. It is a captivating anthem that was adapted during the Civil Rights Movement and also features the young voices of a group based in Jersey City, NJ: the New City Kids. While the message is universal, Groves had International Justice Mission (IJM) specifically in mind, knowing that this nonprofit social-justice organization, like many do, has reached its point of the “long haul.”
IJM is one of the organizations that will be supported through the upcoming Reason to Gather tour, spotlighting Groves, Audrey Assad and new duo Jenny & Tyler. Later this year, Groves will also embark on Christmas tour with GRAMMY ® nominated band Leeland. For a full list of tour dates, please go to www.saragroves.com.
Through all of the activity, the Groves, her husband Troy and three children keep their eyes on the prize with a mission statement they crafted in 1997 when she first started doing music full time. This mission statement serves as their goal for Invisible Empires: “We believe every person has a next step with God. Whether you’re an atheist or the ninety-nine-year-old woman who’s served God all of her life, I’m writing music about those processes, those moments to pause and ask, ‘Where am I on the road, and where would God have me go next?’”
For more information about Sara Groves please visit www.saragroves.com.
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About Sara Groves:
Since her debut release in 2001, Conversations, Sara Groves has become one of the most critically acclaimed artists in the Christian music industry, receiving rave reviews across the board for each recording by Billboard Magazine and others. Groves consistently tops year-end reader’s polls and album of the year nods from the likes of CCM magazine, Christianity Today and more. On her upcoming release, Invisible Empires, the follow-up to Fireflies and Songs, Christianity Today’s 2009 Album of the Year, the singer/songwriter describes the record content as a process of sorting through the layers of this frenetic life, gaining a new perspective and finding the long-standing truth. Since her 2005 release, Add to the Beauty, Groves has been immersed in a series of global conversations and experiences, from the flood-ravaged gulf of Louisiana, the genocide memorials of Rwanda and the testimonies of Southeast Asia sex trade survivors. These experiences have shaped Groves music as she brings to light the difficult and meaningful work of social justice and engaging in the suffering of the afflicted. www.saragroves.com
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