Prime Cuts: At the End of Me, Collide, Outside Her Window was the World

In a market of wimpy and cliché ridden songs, Norman is a meaty and muscular writer. Ever since his 1996 debut "The Fabric of Verse," Norman has flexed his muscle with poignant, sturdy and thoughtful compositions such as "Great Light of the World," "Falling Down" and "Disappear." And four years ago, he upped the ante by offering his most cutting edge piece "Britney," a personal plea to pop divalet Britney Spears to abandon her self-destructive lifestyle. Still as astute and ever more that cuttingly relevant, Lights of Distant Cities is again a showcase of Norman's mettle as a great writer. However, this time round, he has decided to allow the theme of light and darkness theme to control these 11 cuts. Exploring both sides of this theme judiciously, this Dove Award winner does not shy about from delving into the utter devastation that sin and darkness bring. Neither is he afraid of telling us that the answer is the Light of the World Jesus himself -nothing more and nothing less. Teaming up with Gabe Scott and Ben Shive (Sara Groves and Andrew Peterson) at the helm, this album continues on the pop/soft rock direction of Norman's latter efforts but there are also a few more rustic acoustic moments that harkened back to Norman's earlier discs.

With regards to the theme of sin, Norman hits the nail right at the head with "Collide." The root of sin is not misguided living or not maximising our potential or committing some moral flaw but it is idolatry-our sheer rebellion against God. Featuring some crunchy acoustic guitar pickings, Norman pleads with us on "Collide" to give up our coffers and towers of idolatry. Calling to mind his hit "Britney," "Outside Her Window was the World" tells of a desperate girl trapped in her confusion and pain. As Norman narrates this tale of abject loneliness, you can feel the pain sipping out of the speakers. Lyrically lead single "The Broken" bears a stark reminder to Hillsong's "Cry of the Broken," where Norman cries out to the Almighty God to heal the broken in all strides of life especially those who are experiencing "the poverty of the soul." More poetic artistry is demonstrated in the jaunty Americana "World Gone Dark" where Norman says that "the beauty of an empty soul is nothing left but letting go."

When dawn breaks in the songs that deal with the theme of light, the best among the bunch is the title cut "Lights of Distant Cities." With layer after layer of guitar riffs added to each verse before bursting out like the light of daybreak, the producers are to be congratulated for such ingenuity. Gorgeous also is the coming together of Norman's breathy vocals, banjo and guitar on "Go with You"-a beautiful love song of absolute trust. Continuing on the acoustic country balladry track is "Daylight Breaking;" this time featuring Norman with just an acoustic guitar making him sound like a modern James Taylor. "Sing of Your Glory," on the other hand, brings in back the synth making this Psalm-like hymn into a polished pop ballad.

If you are looking for some of the folkier stuff that Norman used to do on his earlier albums look no further than "Wine from Water." This is another sonic piece of art as Norman takes the Biblical story of Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding and applying it into a modern day couple suffering some marital discord. This is creative hermeneutics at its best. If there is any quibble, it is that though Norman is a great lyricist a few tracks suffer from some nebulous melodic structures. Nevertheless, Lights of Distant Cities is indeed a beacon of hope in a world of darkness. And the good news is that light has come and darkness has no way of overcoming it.

READ HERE Bebo Norman New Single Preview "The Broken" from Upcoming Album 'Lights Of Distant Cities'