Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Down the years (this is Sara's ninth album) Cross Rhythms have praised the thoughtful, reflective and understated music of the Minnesota-based singer/songwriter. Now with this album, released in November 2014, Sara has reached a pinnacle of her art. 'Floodplain' is crammed full of the songwriter's craft. Take the title track, where an artfully nuanced metaphor suggest that people's hopes and dreams are often built on ground liable to flood with fear and uncertainty. And if that sounds a tad too dark a subject for some believers, try "Signal", a beautifully judged declaration of love for the Lord: "All the cliches about how much I love you are true/As big as the sky and up to the moon/A million-zillion, infinity-plus-one." On the album Groves worked with a bevy of producers -Brown Bannister, Steve Brewster, Scott Dente, Daniel Phelps and Matt Pierson, but rather than that giving the album a fragmentary feel there is a remarkable coherence on 'Floodplain' with a sound that is part pop rock and part folk (in fact the album made both Billboard's Folk and Top Rock Albums charts). There are few up-tempo moments here but on a song like "Second Guess Girl" the rapid guitar strumming and upbeat drumming stop the song from sounding languid while the lyrics skilfully depict a modern world where many seek wisdom on the Internet on which the best and worst of humanity dwells. My favourite track at the moment is the haunting opener "This Cup" written with another superb singer/songwriter, Ellie Holcomb. But wherever you explore you'll find music to stimulate the mind and enrich the soul.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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