In a nutshell: In 2005, Germany's Sarah Brendel released an album (with Inpop) that made a splash in the U.S. Now back in Deutschland, Brendel's latest is one of the best recent albums you've never heard. Showcasing her introspective lyrics, breathy vocals, and eclectic folk/pop sensibilities, Early Morning Hours also includes the last songs that Christian music pioneer Larry Norman recorded, about a month before his death. When Norman visited Berlin in early 2008, Brendel, a longtime fan, convinced him to join her in the studio for a pair of duets—Brendel's "Back to the Dust" and Norman's own 1969 classic, "Walking Backwards."
