For Debbie Forrest, diversity is essential to keeping life interesting. Nowhere is this mantra more apparent than on her debut album "Long Ride Home." Debbie's musical style ranges from smoky jazz to classic country, and the album serves as a retrospective on the music that has captured Debbie over the course of her life Debbie has established herself as an in demand vocalist on stage and in the studio since moving to Nashville from her native Texas in 1999. She makes her mark as a songwriter with the release of "Long Ride Home" either writing or co-writing all ten songs on the album. The co-writers, producers, and fellow musicians on "Long Ride Home" make up Debbie's circle of friends in Nashville, and the project is a faithful representation of her unique position in this creative community. In fact, it was the desire to have a memento of her time in Nashville that prompted the making of "Long Ride Home."
Recording got under way in July 2003 and was to wrap in time for Debbie to move back to her native Houston that September. However, one song written for the album led her to change her mind about leaving Nashville. "Amen" speaks directly to the power of God and is a testament to the source of identity Debbie finds in her relationship with God. The experience of writing and performing "Amen" with friend Laurianne Cates led Debbie to make the decision to stay in Nashville and pursue music as a career. The spiritual element of Debbie's music is evident on certain tracks such as "Amen," but the album taken as a whole does not lend itself to any particular genre or category. This diversity is a tribute to Debbie's independent thinking in music making. She is drawn to almost every style of music imaginable and enjoys exploring whatever new sound may catch her ear. Debbie's main musical influences also share this wandering spirit. She looks to artists such as Natalie Cole, Dolly Parton, and Patty Griffin as inspiration for their commitment to creativity and risk taking as well as their staying power over the years. When sharing her thoughts on forging a career of her own Forrest says, "I want to look towards the long run and not just focus on right now. I like the freedom I have now. What keeps me going is that people like Patty Griffin or Lucinda Williams weren't even known until they were in their 30's or 40's."