Invitation to Eavesdrop

Personnel: Shaun Groves (vocals, guitar, piano); George Cocchini (guitar); David Davidson, Monisa Angell (violin); David Angell (viola); John Catchings (cello); Jeff Roach (keyboards); Mark Hill (bass); Dan Needham (drums); Ken Lewis (percussion).
Recorded at The Bennett House and Screaming Baby Studios, Franklin, Tennessee: Rack N Roll and Media Mix Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.
An endlessly catchy and impressively arranged and produced debut from the incredibly talented Shaun Groves, Invitation to Eavesdrop is a polished and punchy album that may herald the arrival of a CCM powerhouse. Confessional almost to the point of awkwardness, Groves celebrates the strengths and admits the shortcomings of his faith, using a variety of radio-ready anthems to drive his message. Although he sometimes seems to too readily indulge in modern production techniques, underneath all of the gloss is a songwriter with a great ear for pop songwriting hooks and soaring melodies (as the transcendent power balladry of "Welcome Home" displays). At other times, Groves seems a bit too eager to ape the manicured sincerity of bands like Jars of Clay, as his vocals and arrangements seem to be aiming for maximum chart success. Of course, to say his debut introduces nothing particularly innovative to a rather staid genre of music is to miss the point, as Groves clearly emerges as a talent who should be capable of standing on his own in the future. ~ Matt Fink