The colors of Bebo Norman’s latest album are much like him: deep, earthy, slightly weathered, and boldly transparent. Rich browns and reds splash across the cover, while inside more layers emerge, songs dented into place by an artist who’s willing to spill himself onto the canvas.
Inspired by a painting from Houston artist Tierney Malone etched with the phrase, Myself When I Am Real, Bebo sculpted his newest songs into self-revealing works of art, focusing more than ever on letting them be a mirror into himself. He also commissioned Malone to paint his album cover, a piece woven with textures and a lived-in feel, capturing the essence of Bebo and his music.
Amazingly, Bebo’s realness hasn’t been altered by the success of his six-year career as a singer/songwriter. He’s been featured on the covers of CCM, Release, Christian Single, and Premier magazines. His previous two national releases have seen critical acclaim, with Big Blue Sky named the No.1 Christian CD of 2001 by Amazon.com. He’s [consistently] headlined his own nationwide tours and [has also] shared the stage [touring with] Third Day, Jennifer Knapp, and Caedmon’s Call.
Whether performing concerts for thousands of fans, or kayaking down the rushing Tennessee rivers, however, Bebo is as down-to-earth on stage as he is among his closest friends.
Myself When I Am Real, Bebo’s third national release, and first fully under the Essential Records masthead, is a well-oiled blend of his past two projects. It combines the intimate songwriting of Ten Thousand Days (Watershed) with the slightly progressive production of Big Blue Sky (Watershed/Essential) and is possibly the most accurate representation of Bebo so far. More than anything, the album reveals a musician who has truly found his pace.
With songs that confide his most intimate thoughts on God, faith and longing, it’s appropriate that the project was created in the places Bebo feels the most at home. The photos for the album were captured in his native city of Columbus, Georgia, while the recording took place where he now resides in Nashville.
"This project is a medium between my last two albums," Bebo explains. "Musically, Big Blue Sky stretched me in healthy ways that were outside my limits, but now I’ve sprung back and landed in a place where I feel like an adult as a songwriter. These new songs express the things I want to share more than ever. My goal with this album has been to portray myself as accurately as possible."
A collaboration with his longtime friend and consistent producer, Ed Cash (Caedmon's Call, Big Blue Sky), Myself When I Am Real gathers guitars, cello and simple percussion into a flawless backdrop for Bebo’s raw, melting vocals.
"The atmosphere in the studio was really relational--we had visitors almost every day and at any given moment, I might find myself watching some amazing musicians make sounds happen or one of Ed’s kids make us all laugh," describes Bebo. "Friends stopped in just to check on us, and we played video games more than we played our instruments. It felt like this album was created right out of my normal every day life."
Facing some sobering realities in the past year, including his father’s heart attack and new growth in his career which pulled him away from home more often, Bebo found strength in the strands that hold his life together: his family. A handful of intimate friendships. The community of his church. A world of unwritten songs. And most importantly, the way that God shows up in those things.
"This record is a statement of who I think I am in light of who God is," Bebo explains. "The bigness of God from Big Blue Sky has settled in, and I’m able to live in the reality of it on a daily basis."
The most articulate expression of Bebo’s relationship with God is found on the album’s stand-out radio single, "Great Light Of The World." Bebo premiered the stirring anthem nightly for thousands of fans during the Spring 2002 Come Together tour with Third Day. As bold and breathtaking as this song is, its timeless, hymn-like lyrics emerged from a quiet moment alone with God.
"The initial idea for ‘Great Light of the World’ came as just a chorus melody in my head, and I somehow stumbled back across it late one night in Nashville. Sitting on my couch in the dark just after the most beautiful thunderstorm, I watched a cloudy evening turn into one of the most worshipful experiences I've ever had. At home alone and quiet with my fears, I rediscovered the absolute and utter sufficiency of God's grace. Salvation was no longer a theory for me...I was living it in real-time. So I reveled in it and soaked it up and poured out a worship song, in my own words, to the Great Light of the World." Other songs spilled out through his time on the road, in his car, wherever inspiration happened to find him: [twelve] songs that paint a picture of his yearning for home, the mysteries of love, the simple desire to see the trees stand still instead of flying by the windows of his life. His are universal contemplations, songs that speak beyond the music, reminding us that at heart, Bebo is just the same as you and me.
He’ll take this poignant collection of songs when he sets out for a [headlining] tour this fall. Joined by his new labelmate, Sarah Sadler, along with David Crowder Band (sixstepsrecords) and Ten Shekel Shirt (Vertical Music) on selected dates, the tour will span more than 40 cities nationwide.
The picture of Myself When I Am Real is best described as a comfortably rustic image of home. It's built from the experiences and people that have kept Bebo on a grounded path, helping to hammer his songs into beautiful images we can all relate to. "I’ve spent six years singing songs, living life in different places, and I’m realizing that the things that really fill me up are much more simple and consistent than I ever imagined," Bebo explains. "All that I truly love in my life is waiting for me at home."
