About the
Author

Long Road Home Worship is the brain child of Jeff Barnes, a self-professed "Grumpy Old man". He has always been a lyricist and has re-written dozens of popular songs by well known artists into praise and worship music. Many have been played by the praise and worship band he plays in named Leap of Faith. A few years ago he went through the third surgery on his right shoulder and was put under general anesthesia. Apparently, that is where he was touched by an angel, because ever since music has just poured out of him, and sometimes at the most inconvenient times. His wife Shelly agrees, "he's touched in the head, that's for sure". I don't think she meant by an Angel. Lyrics and melodies just seem to pop up out of nowhere, and getting it written down can sometimes be a challenge.

The Process

Scribbling down lyrics as they fly through his old brain can be a slow drawn-out process, or the whole song can nearly wright itself in a few minutes. The issue is, as his wife so frequently reminds him is, his brain is like a bowl of spaghetti, a million thoughts all trying to happen at the same time and all going in different directions.

As the lyrics are being written, the melody is working itself out at the same time in that bowl of spaghetti. Once a rough version is worked up, he starts recording the different main instrument parts to create a demo he can use as a working model. Then the real work starts. The next phase can be a frustrating journey or an unexpected sweet treat. The rough version may go through dozens of revisions, including both lyric changes and complete melody or key changes before a final version is settled on.

The Miracle of Modern Technology

Once-upon-a-time, Jeff would sing on the songs, but as he puts it "now I sound like a tired old man". That's where modern technology comes in. New technologies with Digital Work Stations (DAW) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have provided platforms that have allowed professional quality instrumentation and vocals to recreate what is in that "spaghetti brain" of his. Developing the right prompts and DAW adjustments can take days and dozens and dozens of adjustments to get the final product. Once the song is finalized, it's mastered, copyrighted, locked down in a Dropbox file, placed with a distributor for distribution to streaming services, and now included on this website.

The Long Road

This project is simply a labor of love project. It's not being done for any other reason than "I gotta get these songs out of my head" as Jeff has said. Most are Praise songs, some are more of a nostalgic look back at a simpler place and time. From time to time, he has written special songs, like a lullabies for special babies or children's songs for youth groups. The hope is that you enjoy what you hear and allow the music to carry you over the rough road that is the path to Jesus. After all if it were an easy road everybody would take it.