Customer Reviews

Big Blue Sky

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first time I heard any of the tunes on this great cd was at the opening concert of his current tour. I could not wait to get the cd.

As you read in the other reviews, the makeup and sound of this cd is not the same as "Ten Thousand Days". In my opinion, it is an easier and more interesting listen. I love his "...Days" cd, but there isn't the diversity of styles and tempos on it like Big Blue Sky has! If you like the simple tunes showcasing Bebo's voice ---they are here. If you hunger for driving pop tunes----they are here. If you want love songs----they are here. The good thing is that HIS incredible lyrics are here as well!

All of this man's music is worth listening to. No matter what the style is, Bebo is still Bebo and he's still cranking out songs that make me long for more!!

If you have a chance to see him in concert and meet him, you will become even more of a fan, like I have!

~~BEBO ROCKS~~

I definitely saw a noticeable difference from "Ten Thousand Days" to "Big Blue Sky," but it's not a bad change at all. In the earlier album, Bebo's sound is much more natural and acoustic, the lyrics more poetic and soulful. On this CD, there are still strong traces of the acoustic balladeer in several songs, like "Sons & Daughters" or "Perhaps She'll Wait" (my personal favorite on this album), but also a bit stronger showing of the more pop sound that peeked out in "Stand." This is most evident in the opening few tracks, with lively tunes like "I Am" and "Cover Me," and the very witty and spritely "Underneath."

I can't say that Bebo's sound really changes, so much as his balance or emphasis tends to tip more in favor of the more "rockish" style that I already knew was lurking in him, just waiting to come out. Still, I think the balance on "Big Blue Sky" is a bit of an improvement over the nearly unbroken folk sound of "Ten Thousand Days." Either way, this guy has an awesome talent and a great heart for the Lord, and I doubt there will be many listeners who aren't delighted by what they hear.

This project is good, let's get that straight.

It's also very different from his last excellent cd, Ten Thousand Days. Bebo's newest contains some similarities to recent releases. Like Jen Knapp's sophomore album Lay It Down, the production is heavier and more polished. And interestingly, like Derek Webb's contribution to Caedmon's Call's Long Line of Leavers, there are several love songs. Maybe Bebo's headed for the altar too. :-)

But his trademark songwriting talent still remains, and that gift, coupled with his wonderful voice, makes for some great mellow listening. some highlights are 'Tip of my Heart', 'Where You Are', and 'Perhaps She'll Wait'.

If you've never heard of Bebo, I would reccoment taking a listen to Ten Thousand Days as well. If you are already a fan, enjoy!

Everyone was saying it, yet I had to hear it to believe. Norman took his usual folk fare and turned it pop without losing his introspective lyrics and knack for catchy hooks. Well it is true. Norman created one of the most cohesive albums this year, and obviously a standout album to add to his collection.

TOP PICKS: "Cover Me", "I Am", "Perhaps She'll Wait", and "You Surround Me"

This album is much more pop than 10,000 Days. Whether that's good or bad is your choice. In my opinion, I like them both equally, yet in different ways. The lack of 5 stars goes to Ed Cash, the producer. The CD contains a few songs that he co-wrote with Bebo and you can tell right away without looking which ones they are, just by listening. They don't sound anything like Bebo and contain a lot of ugly flat-VI chords.

Don't pass on this because of the negative reviews. Bebo's songwriting talent still shines through, along with his thick, rich voice. I look forward to good things from him.

I have never bought a cd in my life that I liked every song--but I have now. Wonderful lyrics and music.

I heard Bebo for the first time this week when I went to see him in concert with Third Day. I've never heard of him before but I was swept away by the music, his voice, the acoustic guitar, everything! He talked in between songs so I also got a chance to know the man behind the music. So I purchased the CD and quite honestly I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. Although the CD plays the same songs I heard at the concert, it just doesn't sound like the Bebo I first got to know. The songs seem a little watered down and doesn't sound like it's coming from the heart. I hope he comes out with a live music CD instead.

Bebo Norman does not create "canned" music. This CD is honest, vulnerable and fresh. Musically, I would call this album acoustic, folk pop. Bebo's acoustic guitar is the lead instrument on all of the tracks. Backing him up are some of the greatest musicians around including Garett Buell (Caedmon's Call) on percussion and drums and Ed Cash, one of the most creative and versitile musicians in the business, who lends his musical, vocal and production skills to this CD.
Lyrically, Bebo writes on a wide variety of subjects, from a tender song written for his mother, to a catchy love song, to songs crying out for God's grace in the midst of pain and lonliness. The thing I like best about Bebo's writing is that he writes about real life. These are not rosy, religious songs. They are songs one can relate to. One of my favorites would be "Break Me Through" where Bebo writes "Today I woke up early, today I woke up sad. It's funny how it hurts me, the love I've never had. But I can feel you breaking me through this mess. I can feel you through this lonliness. You show me that life shines with you."
If you want music that's rich and connects with your soul, give Bebo a try.

Bebo's earlier stuff was really great. His new stuff may sound different, but it's still great. Sky could be compared to Caedmon's Call's Long Line Of Leavers because it shows a folk musician stretching a bit from his original trademark sound. This record runs together nicely and there are no bad songs interrupting the flow. If you've thought about buying this, i really recommend it. It is a great addition to your collection. Also, if you like this and haven't heard Long Line Of Leavers, go buy that one as well - it's another keeper.

Although I am not generally a fan of "contemporary Christian music," I thoroughly enjoyed Bebo Norman's first CD, "Ten Thousand Days." Refreshing lyrics combined with comfortably folksy tunes made it, in my mind, one of the best Christian albums to come out in years.

With enthusiasm, then, I rushed out to purchase Bebo Norman's sophmore effort, "BigBlueSky." After having listened through a couple of times, my advice is that if you enjoyed Bebo's first album, pass on the second. The charming folk vigor that made songs like "Walk Down this Mountain" and "Selwood Farm" such a delight to listen to has been replaced by a slick, over-synthesized pop sound reminiscent of Duncan Shiek before he faded into obscurity. Most of the songs sound as if they were written in order to get play on Top-40 radio. As a folk singer, Bebo Norman came off as a talented, honest, and refreshingly creative musician; as a pretender to the pop-Christian throne vacated in recent years by fading stars Stephen Chapman and Michael W. Smith, Bebo Norman has failed on all accounts. Norman's second CD is bland, uninteresting, and, downright disappointing. It's not only the music that suffers: the sharp lyrical content of his first album has also been replaced by tired, over-used pop poetry that differs in only in degree from so much of the garbage you hear on MTV's "TRL." From "Break Me Through" Bebo gives us the opening lines: "Today I woke up early, today I woke up sad//It's funny how it hurts me, the love I've never had// But I can feel you breaking through this mess//I can feel you through this loneliness." Is this any better than something we would expect to hear from 98 Degrees? Throughout the album, you keep waiting for Norman to show off some of the talent that made "Ten Thousand Days" such a success. Although he comes close on a few songs ("All that I have Sown"; "Where You Are"), the entire album is a very frustrating listening experience. Even Norman's sometimes powerful voices seems to have been muted, on most songs at least, by all the fancy instrumentation designed to sell so many more records.

For a great Christian CD, go out and buy "Ten Thousand Days." For a below-average pop record that never quite gets its feet off the ground, go out and buy "BigBlueSky"; a BigBlueDisappointment.