Twilight (CD - 2003)

Personnel: Shaun Groves (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano); Gary Burnette (guitar, banjo); Monroe Jones (accordion, keyboards).

The LoveSponge Quartet: David Davidson, David Angell (violin); Kristin Wilkinson (viola); Anthony Lamarchina (cello).

Recorded at Bennett House and The Hideout, Franklin, Tennessee; David's Song Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.

Singer/songwriter Shaun Groves' 2001 debut project, Invitation to Eavesdrop, brought the Texas native six Dove Award nominations in 2002. In August 2003, Rocketown Records released his sophomore album, Twilight. The ten-track project offers listeners a combination of pop and rock. In an interview with his label, Groves described the album as "free of vocal tuning, it's free of computers. There are no drum loops or anything synthetic. It's me at an upright piano or on an acoustic guitar with other guys in a circle in one big room with the tape rolling making music. This is what I sound like with a band." Lyrically, the album's theme is that of being torn -- torn between what Groves told his label is "God's way and my way." He elaborated, "I am between midnight and dawn of my soul. I'm in twilight. The darkness is not completely covering my heart, but the sun hasn't come up yet. Hope comes from knowing that the God who began this good work is going to complete it. Over time the sun is coming up." Songs include "Blank Page," which speaks of allowing God to establish His will, and "Without You," a track dealing with missing his wife while on the road. The album does bear resemblance to past releases. For instance, the song "Jesus" sounds strangely familiar to Keith Green's "If You Love the Lord," while "God of Us" is reminiscent of Chris Rice's "Welcome to Our World." Overall, Twilight bears the mark of a Rocketown Records release. It is poetically thoughtful and a bit artistic; both qualities that seem to be required elements of an artist on the label. While it is not necessarily an album that will remain a favorite over the years, it does fill its niche in contemporary Christian music. ~ Ashleigh Kittle Slater minimize