Watershed Records, started by Cliff Young of Caedmon's Call, has signed a talented new artist by the name of Bebo Norman. Although his latest release, Ten Thousand Days, may not be an album you'll want to run out and buy, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on this Bebo and his future musical projects. There is a sense of a developing maturity in this album that is very intriguing. Bebo's voice is quite striking in its simple beauty, but it could probably be shown off more than the melodies in this album allow.
Bebo's lyrics are honest and humble, if at times a tad trite. One complaint I have of Bebo's music is that his songs seemed to fall into two basic categories: 1) introspective, slow, and meditative, and 2) up-beat, "carpe diem" type songs that go well with slide shows of friends having fun together. Think Chris Rice for the second category.
Bebo seems to work well in twos, since each song but the last on the CD contained one of two themes as its topic: 1) the weakness of mankind, or 2) The matchless and wonderful gift of God's grace. I can't argue with either of these topics since I consider both of them important. The problem comes when you have eleven tracks of these two themes. It's a good topic for maybe two or three tracks, but not an entire CD.
The last track, however, was an exception to the unwritten rule followed by the rest of the album. It comes across with none of the other tracks' heartfelt-yet-cheesy aura. The song 'Rita' seems to be lamenting a young girl's death, possibly from a tragic accident. The lyrics and tune aren't as uplifting as the other tracks, but they are much more believable, containing a subtle hint of bitterness that seems to have been averted throughout the rest of the album. This track is strangely refreshing although not in the same way that Bebo might be refreshing after a few hours of heavy metal music.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Israel KlossBebo Norman has a warm voice. It's as clear as your next door neighbor. Listening to him could also be likened to talking to your neighbor. His voice sounds a bit like Chris Rice, and his entire album is mostly just him and his guitar at the tempo of Phil Keaggy's "Beyond Nature". In concert, he even seems like your next-door neighbor. He is approachable--at one of his concerts he walked up to me…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Cathy CourtwrightWhere personal thought meets moment by moment happenings, this is exactly where Bebo Norman's latest project meets our souls. His rich, acoustically driven, contemporary folk sound stems from his measurement of life within moments. Norman, a former biology major, chose to take a year off before beginning medical school. One year has changed to three and growing. During this time, he has toured…Similar sounding releases
2003Chris RiceRun the Earth, Watch the Sky
2003Andrew PetersonLove and Thunder
2001Jill PhillipsGod & Money
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2005Ricky RossPale Rider
2003Jars of ClayWho We Are Instead
