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Known for his simple acoustic sound and profound lyrical style, Bebo Norman has opened his heart to his listeners through songs filled with hope and doubt, joy and sadness, light and dark. His new album, Big Blue Sky, is born out of the lessons he has learned about grace, the nature of God and his place in the world. Featuring the poetic lyrics his fans enjoy, the album also takes subtle departures from Bebo's signature rootsy guitar sound, a step that may bring his music to wider audience.

FamilyChristian.com: Are you more of a "me and my guitar" type of artist or do you enjoy the sound that comes with more production?

Bebo Norman: It's so different. [Playing] "I Am" acoustically was really hard at first because I was so used to what the dynamics of production did to the song.

I'll probably tour this fall with a band. I did a year ago for about 25 or 30 shows and it was really fun. There were things about it that I would never do again and there are things about it that I really value. I love the energy that happens, but at the same time, I have to balance it with the fact that my true first love is playing with just a guitar. That's how I write and that's how I've cut my teeth. There's something really intimate about that.

I don't feel like playing just a guitar and vocal for a whole CD captures that thing that happens when you're playing live and it's just [you and] a guitar.

FamilyChristian.com: Sometimes it's good to listen to just Bebo and a guitar. Do you feel a band can distract from the message of the lyrics?

Bebo: For me, a lot of stuff is not about a real catchy pop melody. It has a lot more to do with the song and how the lyrics fit with the melody. If you can't hear the lyrics, you're going to miss out on a good bit.

I love the solo thing and I love the band thing for the energy that happens but I think there's a nice meet and mix of those two things. I wouldn't change a thing about [this album]. It's definitely different but it is what it needed to be. I'm not opposed to doing an all-acoustic record someday. There doesn't have to be [definition] like "Okay, this is my sound. I'm done with it" because the root of it, for me, is the song. If the song's still there, I think you can go a lot of different directions as long as you maintain that integrity.

FamilyChristian.com: This is your second major release and you obviously put a lot of thought into your writing. What do you look forward to sharing with those who listen to this new music?

Big Blue Sky by Bebo Norman

Bebo: A lot of it, honestly, is what we were talking about [before], about making things a little more accessible. I can get lost in the song because there's something really beautiful about the way words play with each other and the way they play off of one another. Sometimes as I write, I'll get so interested in how the words fit together that I'll work around some huge corner to get to this really simple point. [I like that] because it can take you on a journey to get to a very simple conclusion. That's why I think Jesus spoke in parables because if I just told you the simple point you wouldn't really get the emotion behind it.

There are a couple of songs [on Big Blue Sky] about my family. I wrote a song about my mom and another song about my granddad. There's a song or two about the whole single thing. Singleness to me is not a weird thing. It's weird to even talk about it because you talk about it and all the sudden people think it's an issue and it's just not an issue. Singleness should be no different an issue than blondeness or brunette-ness or something like that. It should just be that simple-that's just where you are in your life. So [those are] some songs that I look forward to talking about.

I think the biggest thing for me [is that this is] a happier record on the whole. In the last couple years I feel like [I've made] some headway in terms of recognizing the legitimacy of the fact that God is really in control of a lot of things and [I'm] resting in that. That has translated into songs that are a little lighter because my burden feels a little bit lighter. When you realize more and more that God is big and you are small it's amazing what that will do for you. There's been a real freedom in that and that's what I was hoping to get to in some of the songs.

CONTINUE TO PART 3: "The Inspiration I Have"

Kevin McNeese , a writer in Grand Rapids, Mich., conducted this interview for FamilyChristian.com.

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