The latest creation from Ginny Owens is Live From New Orleans. Owens lends her smoky Mississippi voice to some excellent blues and jazz tunes recorded at the legendary House of Blues.
If you are looking for that brash and brassy jazz sound, you won't find it here. Owens brings a much more gentle and subtle approach to her music, much the same as Norah Jones. Her skills as a pianist serve as a good accompaniment for her beautiful voice. Owens once again demonstrates her excellence as a songwriter, penning thoughtful lyrics, whereas many in the blues / jazz genres are content to settle for mundane words that often seem like an afterthought to their instruments.
Will Sayles on drums, Brad Lions on guitar and Tony Lucido on bass combine with Owens on piano to give the listener that sleepy bayou lounge appeal that is so often missing when performers try and transpose this type of music to a recording.
The spoken interlude between track two, "Free," and previously recorded "Call Me Beautiful," the third track, demonstrates just how far Ginny Owens has come in her still young career. Remembering that this CD was recorded live, Owens no longer demonstrates the nervousness that was so present earlier in her career. She talks about a harsh review of the song "Call Me Beautiful" from her CD Beautiful, and in bygone years would have retreated into her insecurities. Today she tackles the criticism head on and turns it into something positive, recreating a splendid song.
"I Love The Way," a nice, easy jazz song, highlights the percussion skills of Sayles and Owens on the keys. Tony Lucido provides backup vocals on this song.
There are not any bad tracks on this recording, but there is one song that leaves us wanting more. Owens sings a cover of the Lenny Kravitz song, "Let Love Rule," and it hints at her breaking loose with something a little edgier. This reviewer would like to see Owens take a stab at singing a similar tune with a little more edge in the future. She is still stretching as an artist and uncovering more of that great talent . . . so Ginny, on your next CD tease us with one or two blues songs that have some edge.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Michael DaltonIn her latest release Ginny Owens sings like she's comfortable in her own skin. Knowing that she struggled with the success that came with her first recording, that's no small thing. She performs here with a maturity and confidence that comes with time. Live from New Orleans is a relaxed, stripped-down, jazz-influenced rendition of some of Ginny Owens' best songs. "I Wanna Be Moved" and "Free"…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Brian A. SmithGinny Owens is one of those CCM artists that can surprise you: if you went strictly by her radio singles, she probably wouldn't immediately grab your attention. That isn't to say that you would change the channel, but that you wouldn't register the song and its performer until you heard it several more times. Suddenly, you come to a realization one day that you like this stuff. Live from New…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Burton WrayGinny Owens was one of the first artists signed to Michael W. Smith's Rocketown Records. Her rookie year ended on a high note after she won "New Artist of the Year" at the 2000 Dove Awards. Since first coming on the scene she has wowed fans with her sweet vocals, excellent lyrics, and great skills on the piano. She has also written songs for various other artists, including co-writing "Blessed"…Similar sounding releases
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