Never designate Sara Groves as a mere coffee house singer who is pleasant enough to listen to but easily forgettable.  While there are some Christian artists who are embarrassed by any blatant doctrinal content, hiding their songs in the double-talk about love that could as easily be physical as well as spiritual.  This is not so with Groves.  In fact, no one has ever been more pedagogically clear in their teachings about God's truths than Groves.  Yet, she is never too heavy handed coming across with hell, fire and brimstone.  This is because she has an effortless yet alluring triple-A piano pop style that has often been compared to the music of Shawn Colvin, Nicole Nordeman and Cindy Morgan.  "The Collection" is Groves first and her most exhaustive "greatest hits" collection.  Featuring 27 prodigious songs over 2 CDs, "The Collection" finds Groves dialing back the clock to 2007 with her debut single "Word" prodding along the passage of time over 10 albums until 2011's "Invisible Empires."  And for the avid fan who has owned all her records, there are 4 new songs bookending each disc.  They are "Strangely Ready," "Lay It Down," "Kindness to Strangers" and the inaugural single to this set "Blessed Be the Ties."

One thing of note about Groves' oeuvre is that her lyrical contents are catholic in scope yet they are uniquely deep in its literary exposition of pertinent issues.  We already see this in her earlier records.  From her major label debut "Conversations" we have "Painting Pictures of Egypt."  Drawing parallels between our idolatrous propensities towards comfort and those of the ancient Israelites, Groves chides us for not wanting to grasp God's best because we are afraid to leave our comfort zone.  Then on "He's Always Been Faithful" Groves sets up the template she would often re-visit throughout her career of incorporating new melodic lines into old hymns.  "He's Always Been Faithful" is a modern re-write of "Great is Thy Faithfulness" that finds Grove at her worshipful best.  This is chronologically followed by Groves most commercial record (and also her best) record to date "All Right Now."  5 songs from that album are included here with the best being the Vanessa Calton-influenced re-kindle the romance ballad "Fly." While the bouncy "All Right Now" is arguably one of Groves' most upbeat songs.  Nevertheless, one is saddened that the more theological astute "Less than Scars" and cross-centered "You Did That for Me" are not included.

After Groves' "All Right Now," she delves into more introspective territory dealing with issues of cathartic weight.  Written with Matt Browlewee "Add to the Beauty" is an intimate ballad calling us to be harbingers of God's grace and redemption.  Being a former high school teacher in Rosemont, Minnesota has certainly given Groves the ease to express deep theological truths in palatable ways.  Here she steps back from the chalkboard and steps into our hearts to offer her lessons she has had learnt about suffering in "I Saw What I Saw."  Crowned by "Christianity Today" as the album of the year, "Fireflies and Songs" is represented by 3 songs here.  The title cut "Fireflies and Songs" has one of the most arresting lines:  "30 years ago I was a little girl/Riding in the back seat of a car/A woman sang sang you don't bring me flowers anymore/I felt a sadness in my little heart."  "Setting Up the Pins" is as down-home bluegrass as Groves can get with the fiddle and mandolin chunking riffs.

Now to the four new songs: "Blessed be the Tie" is a re-write of John Fawcett's 18th Century hymn, one of the few ancient paeans that deal with friendships among believers.  "Kindness of Strangers" and "Lay It Down" are introspective folk Groves patented ballads.  While the violin-led chugging mid-tempo "Strangely Ready" has an autobiographical ring to it as Groves looks forward to with anticipation what God has install after this retrospective milestone.  If you are looking for piano-based ballads sung by someone who thinks deeply and who s not afraid to give vocabulary to her heart's expressions look no further than Sara Groves.  "The Collection" is a place to start for the unacquainted; and for the fan there is so much here to reminisce about in thanksgiving for this incredibly Godly lady.