Lights of Distant Cities

Personnel: Gabe Scott (acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo, bouzouki, hammer dulcimer, piano, keyboards, programming, background vocals); Adam Lester (electric guitar); Ben Shive (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards, programming); Tony Lucido (bass guitar); Paul Mabury (drums).
Audio Mixer: Shane D. Wilson.
Recording information: Fireside Studio, Nashville, TN; Ireland Studio; The Beehive.
Editors: Ben Shive; Gabe Scott.
Photographer: Lee Steffen .
The breathy tone of Bebo Norman's vocals suggests a man completely under the full sway of a spiritual/emotional trance of some kind. For many other singer/songwriters, that singing style would feel like a strange affectation. But for Norman, a CCM artist who has been part of the worship community for over a decade now, it adds so much poignancy and weight to these smartly appointed songs of struggle and redemption. What upends songs like the dramatic title track and the fist-pumping "Outside Her Window Was the World" is when Norman aims for the cheap seats. The Georgia native hasn't the pipes to really command a room in such a brash fashion. The overheated production, with its reliance on programmed beats and quiet/loud/quiet dynamics, doesn't do him any favors, forcing Norman to try to keep up with the volume. He is much better served when the tone of the album quiets to meet up with his delicate vibrato, adding depth and power to minimalist gems like "Wine from Water" and "Daylight Breaking." ~ Robert Ham