| It's Gonna
Take A Long Time - Reviewed by Joe Ross (9/14/2006)
Ten songs written and sung by Tonya
Lowman, from North Carolina, are a nice showcase of her songwriting
abilities, spirited vocalizing and thoughtful messages.
Tonya's inspiration comes from her own and others' experiences, and
she admits that gospel tunes (Nail Scarred hands, When I Get Home)
are the easiest for her to compose. She listens to many
artists and types of music so it's not surprising that the opener,
"Here In My little Room," has a bluesy feeling to it.
Lean arrangements bring each song in
at about 2 minutes apiece, and the album's total playing time
amounts to just under 25 minutes. While I personally like to
see more instrumental breaks, this more raw-bones approach makes the
songs accessible and emphasizes the lyrics. "The Runaway
Train," for example, would've been a prime candidate for some
locomotive string interplay between verses. Tonya's formidable
voice has plenty of confidence as she sings with an all-star
ensemble of David Johnson (mandolin, fiddle), Eric Ellis (banjo),
Kenny Smith (guitar), and Mark Fain (bass). There's great
instrumental prowess demonstrated in "It's Gonna Take a Long Time."
For even more poignancy and passion, it might have been nice to
incorporate more of Johnson's splendid unpretentious fiddle that
appears in four pieces ("Nail Scarred Hands," "When I Get Home,"
"Old Forgotten Homeplace," and "The Runaway Train").
"Song For Mama" is really about
Lowman's grandmother, a little woman who worked hard, dressed
simple, prayed with devotion, raised kids, and was always very
content with her lifestyle. Lowman asks, "Ain't it funny that
the world didn't stop when momma had to go?" The inspiration
for "Old Forgotten Homeplace" came to Tonya when she passed an old
homesite on the Old Johns River Road. The remains of an old
fireplace sparked her imagination about the settler who once called
that place home and worked the fields. Lowman also has her
songs of rambling and getting out of town. "The Runaway Train"
is her only train song to date, but the message is really that she's
ready to leave the boy miles away and "ride away on a runaway
train." Written out of sheer frustration, "Whatcha Wanna Do"
successfully captures Tonya's feelings when there were more people
worried about what she was doing than she was herself. She
calls it her quirky "no commitments, no nothing, be free, nobody
worrying 'bout me song."
Tonya Lowman and her accompanists
convey much enthusiasm and spark. She has penned some
enchanting songs, and some have good potential as covers for
professional touring bluegrass groups in search of some new,
intriguing material. (Joe Ross) |
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"Barely 25 minutes
in length, Tonya Lowman's solo CD " It's Gonna Take A Long
Time" is primarily a foray into her songwriting talents as well as a
showcase for her lead vocals. All ten songs are Lowman
originals, and the brief liner notes indicate that several are quite
personal to Tonya. Some of these are songs that have been
inspired by people in her life, so who better to sing them?"....JK
Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, October 2006 (Full article can be read
at www.bluegrassmusic.com
) |
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