CMT Blog: Archive

They might've come for the rodeo. But after the 1,800-pound bulls had gone back into the exit chute and the cowboys had all packed up their chaps, the audience stuck around. That's because Jake Owen gave the Chicago crowd a whole lot of reasons to stay put for his post-rodeo concert on Friday night (Feb. 5). For one, Owen can flat-out sing. There is nothing his rich baritone voice can't do. And, he writes good-timin' songs perfect for this kind of show. He also seems to have a knack for putting together a set list to keep the party going after two hours of bull riding, starting with "Yee Haw" and "Startin' With Me" (in double time) and then getting right into newer tunes like the sexy "Cherry on Top" and the hometown celebration that is "Every Reason I Go Back."

Oh, then there was the cover song of all cover songs, David Allan Coe's "You Never Even Call Me by My Name." So many country artists do it, but Owen's take was a long journey down a very country road right up to the point where it was raining on the night his mom got out of prison. He also gave credit where credit was due, by pointing out that one of his favorite bands was Alabama and what an honor it was to write and sing with frontman Randy Owen on "You Can Thank Dixie."

But the other thing Owen got so right was how he worked the room. He spent about half his show walking off the stage and into the crowd. At one point, he found a girl who'd taken a picture of him onstage with Britney Spears, and he was so enamored with her that he brought her to the front of the stage to sing "Don't Think I Can't Love You" with him. And he closed the show with the very appropriate "Eight Second Ride," something that the cowboys had been striving for all night.