CMT Blog: Archive

Jake Owen will be wrapping up his second album in the next few weeks, aiming at a February release. He’s recording the project in his producer’s house, which has given him the freedom to make music on his own time. I was invited over to hear a few of the new tracks, and I have to say, I think this record will have some legs. My favorite one is “Tell Me,” with a stampeding melody that reminded me of a dusty old Western movie, one of those flicks with shoot ‘em ups and ladies with too much rouge. The lyrics are about making the same mistakes over and over, and it’s one of nine songs that Owen has co-written for the album.

Although he’s proud of his writing so far (including his Top 10 hit, “Startin’ With Me”), Owen is just as excited about the songs he found but didn’t write. One is called “Cherry on Top,” with a sweet line about Cool Whip that pretty much makes the song, and the other one is “Shadows,” a moody song about certain folks who refuse to let other people have their time in the sun. The album’s first single, “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You,” is currently at country radio. “When I’m buying a record, I want to make sure I can listen to it from top to bottom, and to have an eclectic mix of songs,” he says. “Not songs that all sound the same. They’re random, you know, and that’s what keeps me as a listener.”