Fireflies and Songs

Biography

On November 17th, Sara Groves will deliver her most personal recording yet, and what she describes as her ‘songwriter’s album,’ “FIREFLIES & SONGS." Already known for her transparent songwriting, Sara Groves gets even more piercingly honest on this, her ninth album. Whether her relationship with God, marital tension, or a private battle with anxiety, it's poetically spilled forth in Groves' call for the church to "live confessionally." And paired with less poppy, stripped-down arrangements, her...

On November 17th, Sara Groves will deliver her most personal recording yet, and what she describes as her ‘songwriter’s album,’ “FIREFLIES & SONGS." Already known for her transparent songwriting, Sara Groves gets even more piercingly honest on this, her ninth album. Whether her relationship with God, marital tension, or a private battle with anxiety, it's poetically spilled forth in Groves' call for the church to "live confessionally." And paired with less poppy, stripped-down arrangements, her achingly clear vocal remains front and center. This is vintage Groves—yet more herself than ever. With her two previous recordings, Add to the Beauty and Tell Me What You Know, Groves focused on a theme and wrote poetic commentary with songs about social justice and the impoverished. However, early in the pre-production process of “Fireflies & Songs,” INO Record’s president Jeff Moseley suggested that "It's been a long time since we've heard from you," saying, "I want to check in with you. What's happening now in your life? What is life like for you as a wife, mother, daughter and friend?" "As soon as he said that, I knew it was true. As a songwriter, it's easier to step back and take an observer's view, and that's what I'd been doing the last couple albums,” she recalls. “Of course, I'm in all those songs, and they're personal, but I wasn't 'digging in the dirt' for sure. It's hard to do that. It's hard to say, 'Here's my stuff. I'm not writing about other people's stuff.' Soon she had her first conversations with producer Charlie Peacock about the album and, at one point, asked if he had any early direction for her. "I want you to enjoy God and the gift of songwriting," he replied. "I just burst into tears," says Groves. "I don't think anyone has ever told me to do that. And that's what I did. I cried like a baby as every single song came out. And as they did, I thought, I'm more grateful today that I get to do this than ever before." Even now, as she recalls the experience, her eyes well with emotion. While Groves is the first to confirm Fireflies & Songs is the "most her" musically, it's also the singer's most candid recording. "I tried not to teach on this album," she explains. I turn everything into a lesson--for myself, for the people around me. That's how I process my life, that's how I learn. But I wanted Fireflies & Songs to feel more like friends and I are talking at Don Pablo's over nachos and cheese. I'm trying to be more confessional, and I hope these songs encourage other people to live confessionally." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.