Music Review: Third World Symphony by Shaun Groves

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: 10 fun songs filled with great lyrics

Cons: None at all

The Bottom Line: 

Time off did not dull

Shaun's pen one bit.  New release

May be his best yet.

The Welcome Return of Shaun Groves

It's been six years since Shaun Groves' last released a studio CD.  Since his earlier releases continue to be some of my favorites, I kept hoping for more.  Since Shaun's label has folded during that time, he's gone the independent route with Third World Symphony.  That may make it harder to find, but the extra effort will definitely be worth it.

The disc starts out with pipes.  No, that doesn't mean that Shaun has changed styles, however.  He's soon strumming the guitar on opener "All is Grace."  There's nothing complex here as he praises God for the things in life we take for granted and reminds us that it is God's grace that gives it to us.

The tempo picks up for the second track, although Shaun never gets too rocky on the entire disc.  "Come By Here" features a driving guitar as he pleads with God to come meet us in our need so that He can heal us.  You can tell this is an independent disc here.  How?  One of the examples in the first verse is "who res reach out for a faithful lover."  (Extra space to trick the Epinions automatic censor.) Considering he had to change a similar image in his second release years ago, I found it interesting.

"Kingdom Coming" is a piano and guitar ballad with those pipes making an appearance again.  Thematically, it follows on the heels of the last song as Shaun pleads with God for His kingdom to come on earth.

When I saw the song entitled "Sing," I was expecting a praise song, but that's not the case here.  In this mid-tempo track,   Shaun is looking for some help for the days when his faith is weakened by the trials of the world.  At the same time, he offers support to those around him that are also struggling.  So how does the title play into all this?  When standing together, we can sing to God.  Okay, so there's a bit of my initial thought in there, but it's not the main focus.

Instead, praising God is the focus of the next track, "Awake My Soul."  Again, the tempo has slowed down on this guitar heavy track that finds God in nature and the events that already surround us and reminds us to praise Him in the everyday life.

At just over two and a half minutes, "I've Got You" is the shortest track here. The arrangement on the song is simple with guitar being helped out by strings and piano.  The idea is simple as well, "I've got You when all I've got is gone."  The faith expressed here is all humbling because so often I forget that it really is that simple.

"Enough" borrows heavy from Proverbs 30 where the author asks God not to give too much or too little so that they will always depend on God.  But it's time to kick the disc into high gear again, so the tempo picks up.  Since Shaun mainly plays guitar, it's rather heavy on that, but it includes a nice horn section.

But my favorite track comes next.  "No Better" reminds us that we are all sinners in God's eyes.  Upbeat and in a minor key, the melody is so catchy, it's the one I find stuck in my head the most.  It even includes some banjo mixed in with the guitar.  But those lyrics.  "Lay me down with the liar/Brawlers, thieves, and backbiters/Lay me down with the others/Cause I'm no better."  Ouch.  And yet so true.

Tired of me talking about guitar?  Then you'll be glad to know that piano is the main instrument in "Down here."  The focus is on the gulf between a perfect, sinless God and us sinful humans here on earth.  While this is a slow song, it is a song of hope because it reminds us that God has bridged the gap between us.  As the song builds, horns again come in to help the percussion and guitar that have been added.  There's even a great choir for the last minute or so of the song.

A popular genre in worship music is the classic hymn given a new arrangement and possibly a new chorus.  Shaun closes the disc with "Just As I Am," his new version of the hymn.  The verses are fairly familiar, although he has sped the whole thing up.  But I love the chorus as he reminds us just Who it is we are coming to, Jesus who has won the victory over sin and death.  I really hope this version catches on in church across the country.

On my first listen, I was a surprised that the disc seems a bit mellow compared to some of Shaun's earlier discs, not that he was ever really anything other than a pop/soft rock artist.  But that has always been a minor issue.  The lyrics are amazing on all the songs.  Shaun has obviously picked his best songs from the hiatus, and the results are wonderful.  There isn't a song on here I don't like; they range from good to great.  I just can't get enough of it.

If you want a disc copy, you'll need to visit shaungroves.com to find it.  Otherwise, you can get digital copies from iTunes and Amazon for sure.  (I haven't looked elsewhere).

But by all means, get Third World Symphony.  You'll find the songs convicting and encouraging, sometimes at the exact same time.  This is a disc I'll listen to for years to come.

CD Length: 37:19

Tracks:

1. All is Grace

2. Come by Here

3. Kingdom Coming

4. Sing

5. Awake My Soul

6. I've Got You

7. Enough

8. No Better

9. Down Here

10. Just As I Am