Billboard

Music is as integral to the modern Christmas season as gifts, cheery lights, and office parties.

That's one reason why Bebo Norman took the time he needed to release his first Christmas album. Getting those details - and going beyond them into a realm of richer mystery - required years of reflection, before the time came for the project to begin.

Christmas ... from the Realms of Glory is an inspired gathering of songs, which Norman performs with the intense musi¬cality and passion that have positioned him at the forefront of Christian music. It captures the celebratory side of the sea¬son, as nearly every Christmas album strives to do, through lighthearted renditions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Silver Bells," which stroll through familiar melodies like shoppers passing brilliant window displays.

But Norman knew there had to be more to his offering than this. In fact, there had to be two views of Christmas, each one complementing the other, even when their meanings seem to contradict. He had to recount the true and neglected message of this special day while also acknowledging the pleasures of modern festivity. "This album isn't just about the feeling of Christmas," he emphasizes. "It's about digging into what Christmas really is. That's what I wanted this record to communi¬cate."

But why a Christmas record now? "I've wanted to make this record for years," he insists. "But I always promised myself that I wouldn't do it until I knew we had the right songs."

The first of these, and in some ways the essence of Christmas ... from the Realms of Glory, was "The Rebel Jesus," a beau¬tiful but somewhat overlooked song by Jackson Browne. "It cuts to the heart of what Jesus lived for," Norman says. "It's a sobering song about the fact that we may answer the Salvation Army bells during that particular time of year, and perhaps we'll give a little because we're feeling generous. But Jesus calls us to live that way all the time, not just at Christmas."

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SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH BEBO