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In 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" benefit from the removal of the electronic wizardry that make the original versions now sound a little dated. The same could be said for "If You Want Me To," which is given new life with a slightly altered arrangement. It’s a little risky tinkering with her biggest song, but I found myself enjoying it after the first listen. 

"Call Me Beautiful" is one of those honest, confessional songs that make Ginny’s songwriting so endearing. As she so touchingly explains (and I’m paraphrasing) in the song intro, we all share a longing to be known and loved unconditionally. But no one is capable of meeting all our expectations, nor are we capable of meeting all the expectations of someone else. It really doesn’t matter though if no one loves us unconditionally because God loves us that way. Knowing our darkness and flaws, He loves us more than anyone else. There’s nothing that we could ever do to make that change. 

She is well supported in this effort by a band that provides somewhat sparse but solid backing. They provide just the right expertise while being unobtrusive. Ginny and the band had more than 100 performances before this recording, which gives the songs their lived-in feel.

Also included our two new songs: "Let Love Rule," a cover of a Lenny Kravitz hit that has a blues flavor; and "Live Once," a new studio song at the end, which is probably part of her new release planned for the fall of 2005. "Live Once" has the fuller studio sound but the song fits with the style of the others. It continues in the direction of piano-driven pop that has a jazz and blues flavor.

It would be easy to overlook this recording in anticipation of the new studio release. But Live from New Orleans is like a walk in the park on a beautiful spring day. You feel better for having made the excursion. 

Michael Dalton
May 12, 2005

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, demonstrate 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.

By Joe Montague, exclusive rights reserved  5/21/2005

This material may not be redistributed without prior written permission from Joe Montague.

Joe Montague is an internationally published journalist/photographer living in Canada. Joe Montague's ministry of journalism is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent David Montague who went to heaven at the age of 18.

Ginny 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 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 Orleans is exactly as billed: a show that was recorded in that city (a companion DVD is available at Owens' live shows). "Free" is better here than on radio, sung almost in a Sara Groves fashion.  In fact, Owens' vocals work better in a stripped down, acoustic format on several songs.

Most interesting choice here is a cover of Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule", which seems ambitious at first glance, but Owens makes it work.  "Live Once" is a new song, the added incentive for fans to purchase a disc of songs they probably know.  That group of people will be even happier come October, when Owens' new studio disc is due to drop.

Brian A. Smith
21 May 2005

Ginny 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" with Rachael Lampa and Cindy Morgan.  This song was recorded by Rachael Lampa and won the Dove Award for "Inspirational Recorded Song" in 2001.

This is Ginny's first solo live project (having performed on A Night in Rocketown with her label-mates).  It was only natural for her to record the album in New Orleans giving how close she used to live to the city and her love for music history.  Most of the album boasts an interesting almost completely acoustic sound which gives a new feel to nine familiar Ginny Owens songs.  The CD also has a cover of a Lenny Kravitz song and a new track that will be included on Owens' fall release.

Unfortunately the almost all acoustic sound results in the familiar songs becoming mostly unrecognizable to all but her most die-hard fans.  The music of the songs was one of the things that made them so great and the songs just don't translate as well with an acoustic sound.  It might be interesting to hear Ginny perform several new tracks acoustically but it just doesn't work as well with her familiar songs. 

The project is saved by Ginny's wonderful voice and the amazing lyrics that she writes.  Owens is one of the best young singer-songwriters in CCM today and this album reminds listeners why she is sought so much as a writer for others.  This is a good album, which serves as a good reminder of why Owens is so popular and successful, but it could have been much better if they had not gone with an acoustic feel for the whole project.

Burton Wray June 4, 2005