Four years after his last record, Greetings From…Jake in 2019, Jake Owen is back with his seventh studio album, Loose Cannon. Known for his beachy, summertime tunes such as Barefoot Blue Jean Night, Beachin’ and The One That Got Away, Owen has had a solid track record of releasing fun, summer jams that pair with his underrated deep cuts like LAX, The Journey of Your Life and What We Ain’t Got.
The album was announced back on May 24th on Owen’s Instagram. Two days later, he promptly released the first four tracks including On the Boat Again.
Loose Cannon releases at a transitionary period in Owen’s life. He notes how the album reflects his transition from the wild, carefree character in Barefoot Blue Jean Night to a husband and father.
“My narrative has changed throughout the years. I went from a young guy (who was) never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down to like, growing up and not necessarily slowing down, but just like finding more purpose in the day-to-day. Sometimes I think it’s interesting to incorporate that into my music.”
The maturity and overall growth from Owen are felt throughout the album with tracks such as Hope Less, It Don’t, He Won’t and You Do and Boy In the Chevrolet all feel like an older, more mature view of different topics ranging from break ups to growing up.
“I’m not a young kid anymore but I’m not old either. And when I listen to these songs, I think it’s a good spectrum of who I was, who I am and who I want to be.”
Interestingly, not a single song on Loose Cannon is written by Owen. However, he doesn’t view that as a bad thing. In fact, he is proud that he had the opportunity to cut songs from talented Nashville songwriters such as Jordan Davis, Luke Laird, Brent Cobb, Devin Dawson and many others.
“I embraced the songwriting community some years back in Nashville and I’ve enjoyed hearing a song that says everything that I would want to say that I maybe didn’t have the ability to write with my own pen.“
A standout song on the album is the thirteenth track, Somewhere South With Rum. The song written by fellow star Jordan Davis, along with Jacob Davis and Josh and Matt Jenkins, is a melancholy one. It’s packed with strong imagery throughout the verses and chorus, making the listener feel like they’re sitting beside Owen on the beach. The subtle steel guitar interwoven throughout the production is just the icing on the cake.
“I hope you took that trip you always talked about to Charleston
Bounced around in and out of every bar off King
But I’m just sitting, watching boats float in and out the harbor
And I can finally say I hope you found someone
Sincerely yours from my side of the sun
Signed Somewhere South with Rum”
The album is quite a long one, coming in at 16 songs and 50 minutes in length. However, Owen packs the record with enough variety and tonal shifts to keep the Loose Cannon feeling fresh throughout the long runtime.
Listen to On the Boat Again, It Don’t, He Won’t and You Do and Somewhere South With Rum here: