Genre: Folk/Acoustic/Americana, Pop/Rock
For fans of: Marc Cohn, Caedmon's Call, Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Michael W. Smith

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Bebo Norman likes to restore things. He drives a refurbished Ford Bronco from the 1970s and thinks he'd be good at fixing up old houses someday. And whether it's clear to him yet or not, he has stripped a storied career in acoustic pop music back down to its basics to create his most impressive album yet; simply titled Bebo Norman.

Many recall the amiable singer/songwriter was an independent artist before that tag was even cool, selling fifty thousand self-made copies of his first record (1996) at coffeehouse shows, out of the trunk, and online. And while his recent decade-long run with a major label brought success after success, he has chosen the road less traveled again by recently signing to Seattle's decidedly less corporate BEC Recordings.

"The label is managed by a guy who promoted some of my very first concerts," Bebo says. "So there's a personal history and a lot of independent thinking there. I am excited by what they're encouraging creatively."

Still rooted in the tuneful sensibilities of men like James Taylor or more recently John Mayer, Bebo Norman stretches the artist's production values, getting edgier and smoother on either side of his folksy inclinations. And there's a new level of spiritual vulnerability that's key to the lyrics, often about breathing new life into things that are running ragged.

"Pull Me Out," the set's anthemic, ultimately joyful opener, is almost heavy enough to call rock and looks at faith from a surprising personal place. Norman's distinct vocals cut through the mix to ask: When does this start feeling like I understand everything I'm dealing with?

Bebo admits, "I have silently walked the last four years with a building and recently diagnosed struggle with anxiety. If I'm honest, it's something that I've found a bit of shame in, and the irony is that it involves singing the songs I so dearly love to sing … It seems the older I get, the less I understand about this life, about faith and the struggles that come with it. But more importantly, I'm being shown that the older I get, the less I need to understand.'Pull Me Out' is about learning more every day that what I really need to do in this life and in this world is to simply trust in a God who is indeed completely in control."

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