Released five months after her retrospective live album (Live From New Orleans), Long Way Home continues Ginny Owens' tradition of excellent pop craftsmanship. Ginny has long been known for her insightful songs about faith and life, and her fourth album delivers another strong batch of soft-spoken, yet likeable, pop songs.

The album starts off with the fun and sprightly opener "Waiting For Tomorrow." Featuring bouncy guitars and playful synths, the song is a slightly different spin on Ginny's piano-driven sound. Ginny's tasteful piano playing continues to be a firm theme throughout this record, however, and her piano never drifts out of earshot, giving Long Way Home that distinctive R&B/bluesy flavor that make her songs so pleasantly appealing.

Each song on Long Way Home serves as an intimate look into Ginny's personal faith and spiritual walk. Her emotive and soulful voice conveys each lyric with an undeniable warmth, transforming each song on the record into a quiet invitation into her world. The first single "Fellow Traveler" is a reassuring message for those seeking to share in the hope that she's come to know in Jesus Christ ("Fellow traveler let me take you to a place where I found rest / Fellow seeker let me show you where I've found true happiness / Fellow beggar I have good news, I know where there is bread"), while the title track is a beautiful reminder that the Christian journey is not meant to be walked alone.

The most powerful song on the album, however, is the beautifully stated "Wonderful Wonder," an open confession about Ginny's blindness (she has been blind from the age of two) and the effect it has had on her faith ("I don't know the ocean's crystal blue / And I don't climb the mountains for the view / But the very thought of things I'll never see / Is all it takes to bring me to my knees"). Although a wonderful song of hope and reverence, there is an appealing sense of vulnerability present as well. That's because Ginny Owens manages to instill a small part of her world into every lyric she writes, giving each song a level of intimacy that's downright beautiful to behold. Long Way Home is a quietly intimate album that grows closer with every listen and is truly one of the most beautiful records of 2005!

- Review date: 10/12/05, written by Sherwin Frias