This greatest-hits package marked the influential singer/songwriter's departure from Essential Records. The collection culls heavily from
Bebo Norman's breakthrough 2002 album,
Myself When I Am Real, as well as 2006's
Between the Dreaming and the Coming True. At only ten tracks, you might question the reason for not including more from the three albums that are underrepresented (just four tracks total from
Ten Thousand Days [1999],
Big Blue Sky [2001], and
Try [2004], plus a track from the WOW Worship: Aqua compilation). Still, the grandeur of
Norman's understated vocals and penetrating lyrics is clearly manifested. Strung together between his newer contemporary pop numbers are the worship standards "Nothing Without You," "I Will Lift My Eyes," and the ubiquitous title track. New listeners might be surprised at how these familiar songs seem to resonate. Unlike some "best-of" collections that are so exhaustive that they leave you no reason to explore an artist's catalog,
Great Light of the World leaves listeners desperately in need of more. ~ Jared Johnson