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? Tonya's voice is the main ingredient in the album's mix and it's strong, clear and slightly country in timbre and phrasing. Some nice harmony is added on all tracks by Kenny and Amanda Smith. Instrumentalists on this CD include Eric Ellis(banjo),Kenny Smith (guitar), Mark Fain (bass), and David Johnson(mandolin and fiddle). Although Tonya's cover photographs show her with guitar in hand, album credits name only Kenny Smith on guitar, leading one to assume she's a rhythm player only, or maybe uses her instrument mainly for songwriting.However, there are lots of nice guitar riffs and leads (smiths)throughout the album. Ellis's banjo picking is snappy, Fain's bass is audibly solid, while Johnson's mandolin and fiddle breaks add a cheery smile to many of the tracks.Although this album sets a calmer pace for its straight-ahead , North Carolina bluegrass, there are some tunes that get your heart pumping. The title track offers some double-quick licks on banjo, guitar, and mandolin, while "The Runaway Train" is full of Ellis's bright, bouncing banjo. Most tracks, however, have a moderate tempo, including the tribute tune "Clarence's Song" and the sweetly sad ballad "Song For Mama". Two gospel songs finish up the album, the ballad"Nail Scarred Hands" and a waltz, "When I Get Home". A pleasant album from a talented songwriter.

Playing Time – 24:56 -- 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-boned 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, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)