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I wasn't exactly overwhelmed with anticipation when this disc hit my mailbox.  Shaun Groves? That "Welcome Home" guy?  I was prepared to write off White Flag as another radio friendly unit shifter, aimed at the adult contemporary crowd who buys 75% of Christian music.  But, as my wife is so fond of telling me, wrong again.

Centered around the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, White Flag is a rock record.  Groves' approach is grittier, with vocals that sound world weary at some moments, and filled with a raspy conviction at others.  His goal here is not a devotion to religion, but to true discipleship.

"What's Wrong With This World?" breaks new ground, almost defying its title, when it points out that that people are what's wrong.  People, who are helpless to live their lives without sin, and are incapable of bringing anything to God that is of value:

"Nothing in my hand I bring/Simply to the cross I cling/Naked, come to thee for dress/Helpless, look to thee for grace/Foul, I to the fountain fly/Wash me, Saviour, or I die."

"Sad Song" is exactly as advertised.  "Hummingbird" opens with a Nickelback guitar riff, settles in at a completely different place, than revisits the opening chord in its chorus.  "Heaven Hang On" is a portrait of urban despair, and "Only" seems destined to be the single.

Groves' vocals are as rough edged as a splintery board, combining the pathos of Springsteen's acoustic material, and the passion of the Alarm's Mike Peters.  On "Peace Has Broken Out", though, the song and tone is much more John Lennon – in fact, the song is very reminiscent of Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War is Over)".

White Flag teaches me a few things.  First, never judge an artist by his previous material.  Second, the songs here are a good lead in to studying the Beatitudes, and gaining a new perspective, and some new insight as to what Christ may have meant.  If you've been on the fence with Shaun Groves, this is the album you've been waiting for him to do.

Brian A. Smith
21 May 2005

In 2003, relatively new artist Shaun Groves received six Dove Award nominations. Mark this down. In 2006 Shaun Groves will win at least one Dove Award--and maybe more--because his White Flag album, due to be released July 1, is quite simply a stunning example of Groves' superb talent.

White Flag is a CD that combines pop driven tunes, ballads, rock with an edge, alternative, and worship songs all on the same project. Don't make the mistake of thinking this is an artist who is trying to be all things to all people; quite the contrary, Groves demonstrates excellent song selection and gets an opportunity to demonstrate his versatility.

The opening track, "What's Wrong With This World," features Groves at his best, with some awesome guitar riffs and a bit of a rasp to his voice. This rock missive speaks to those who are emotionally needy rather than acting as the catalyst for change. This song alone is worth the price of the CD.

The second song on the project, "Sad Song," is a quiet reflective tune that is sonically reminiscent of Coldplay. "Sad Song" speaks to the heart of atonement and how it is in our brokenness that we become fully aware of Christ identifying with our own suffering and sorrows.

On the title track, the singer waves a flag of truce signaling that he is no longer prepared to engage in a struggle of wills with God. We can identify with the words: "Jesus now my fist is open / Now my sword is broken / I come in peace / 'Cause I can't get well / I can't get through / I can't get by / If I can't get you."

White Flag marks the debut of Shaun Groves as producer. Lynn Nichols (Switchfoot, Amy Grant, Delirious?) is executive producer, and the twosome is capably assisted by recording / mix engineer Skye McCaskey. "In an industry where most artists tend to only go ankle deep, Shaun dives in!" says Nichols commenting on the project.

"Crave" is driven by some great guitar riffs and demonstrates Groves' ability to get down and dirty with his voice. This song is one that should appeal to any fan of good rock music. What always distinguishes Groves from his rock playing contemporaries is the listeners' ability to clearly hear his vocals and his ability to compliment good music with outstanding lyrics.

With "Heaven Hang On," Groves takes his place beside great storytellers like Mark Schultz and Michael Card. The lyrics are dark and are a comment on a far too common occurrence in today's society--domestic violence. When you have an opportunity to sit and talk with Shaun Groves as I did, you understand that he is a deeply caring man, and no doubt the lyrics are born from a heart troubled by such events.

Upon listening to "Only," I was reminded of Billy Joel tunes from the mid to late '80s. Oh, that mainstream radio would only play more Christian music because this song has such great hooks and melody.

"My Enemy" is an expression of God's unconditional love and how that love should flow through us to others. It is a very moving composition. "Peace Has Broken Out" is sure to become a part of contemporary worship services across North America. It is a song which worship leaders and congregations alike will have fun playing. History may someday reflect that "Peace Has Broken Out" marked a time when Shaun Groves was first recognized as one of the really good modern day hymn writers.

Shaun Groves and Michael Olson, whose CD Long Arm of Love was also reviewed by The Phantom Tollbooth, are touring together this summer, and audiences everywhere are in for a great treat.

Rocketown Records, the label launched by Michael W. Smith, continues to produce quality artists. The label has become a leader resisting the temptation to sell out completely to commercial appeal. Rocketown is leading the way in a reformation by unleashing some of the most talented artists in today's industry, and Shaun Groves is an excellent example.

Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved  June 7, 2005

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist / photographer. His ministry is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18. All copyright and distribution rights remain the property of Joe Montague.

I've found myself rooting for Shaun's third release; I've kept up with CMCentral's column written by Shaun over the previous weeks, giving readers a chance to see what it was like to go through the writing and record creation process. And with White Flag only a few weeks away from dropping, is the final product a success?

Shaun makes an effort on this recording to combine a rock/alt edge with worshipful lyrics and pop melodies, using the Beatitudes as a basic theme to string everything together. Though many of the lyrical themes are covered in an effective way--such as "What's Wrong With This World," which almost brilliantly switches the usual "the world needs to be saved" theme to "I'm what needs to be saved"--I find myself disappointedly unimpressed by the melodies throughout the recording. Many of the louder tracks exude the rock grittiness that is sure to please on a basic level but don't reveal too much depth over repeated listening. The slower songs are a tad more effective, with some almost genuinely beautiful musical moments within them, even if they do sound a bit forced lyrically in other places (see "Heaven Hang On").

I don't think this guy is without talent; just listen to the hooks in "Amen" or how close he gets to crafting stunningly beautiful moments in "Sad Song" and "Narrow." The Beatitudes concept also adds a level of creativity and depth to White Flag that many Christian artists simply never try to achieve. I don't want to take for granted the effort Shaun has obviously made on this disc as is made obvious by those points. I firmly believe White Flag is a genuine step in the right direction, but his songwriting and overall melodies need a little more work to make them stand out. It isn't a failure, but I can't give White Flag an honest recommendation, either.

Jonathan Avants  6/20/05