Triple Shot of… ‘Loose Cannon’
Jake Owen has been one of my favorite mainstream artists in country music, for as long as I can remember. He was the first artist I ever saw live, as he opened for Keith Urban right before he released his classic Barefoot Blue Jean Night album and he’s out with a brand new album, which has become one of my absolute favorites of 2023 with Loose Cannon.
Jake has always been a guy who has been able to tow the line between being “just” a beach country guy to someone who can really go in depth on some strong, serious songs. He can go from “Beachin’” to “What We Ain’t Got” in the same record and both songs sound like authentic versions of Jake Owen.
The Low Down
Loose Cannon is the 7th studio album by Jake Owen. It was released 4 years after his last record, Greetings From…Jake. That album had massive radio hits, but overall, it kind of was swept up in the midst of the pandemic. It seems like Jake, who has always been pretty solid with radio, but his albums don’t get the kind of recognition they deserve. Especially when they are usually so solid, from start to finish.
It also seems like Owen couldn’t make album plans because from “Best Things Since Backroads”, he released 5 other songs that felt like they could A) be on this album or B) at the very least, be on an EP. None of those 6 songs were included on this project, which honestly is a good move. It gave more new stuff for the consumer to listen to and this album is already long enough with 16 songs. It was a good pivot and overall, this is such a Jake Owen album in a lot of great ways. Great vocals, solid production, and some really phenomenal album cuts.
Jake Owen didn’t write on any of the 16 songs, but there’s a lot of names you might recognize: Jordan Fletcher, Brett Cobb, Aaron Ratiere, Ashley Gorley, Bobby Pinson, and even a couple of artists in Walker Hayes and Jordan Davis. Matt Roy is the name you need to pay attention though, as he solo-wrote “Loose Cannon”, the title track. More on that later.
As he did with the previous album, Joey Moi produces this project. Of course, everybody knows him as the Nickelback and FGL guy, but I think you give him a guy like Jake Owen who has a little more control of his career at this point, and Moi can reign in the over-producer’s chair.
Finally, the big themes on this album are heartbreak, love, and nostalgia. Nothing too overly sentimental, but this is a surprisingly more laid back approach. There’s less beach songs than you’d expect and more songs about going to get her back and talking openly about his heartbreak. It’s a step up in more mature topics, which I’m always going to appreciate. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Summer song, but I also will prefer a song with more substance.
“When It All Shakes Out”
This is one of those songs that I didn’t necessarily think that I would enjoy by the title alone. I expected multiple sand/beach references, and as I said before, I always prefer a little more bite to my lyrics. Lyrically, it’s a pretty solid “life lesson” song that ends with the self reflecting question, “Can you shake the hand of the man you’re going to be when it all shakes out?”. I also appreciate that within the context of the lyrics, he points out his own flaws, including being able to tell the lies of both sides of the coin and the fact that he’s a runner in life.
Sonically, it starts out slower and more sparse then builds up to a fantastic chorus that builds up into kind of a jam band rocking session. Not what production you’d expect from this type of song, but I’ll gladly take it.
Favorite Lyric:
“Woke up in a daze, been runnin' for weeks/Puttin' miles on a thirty something heart/Daddy in my head and the Devil in my ear/And they all sound the same in the dark/Paid no mind to the words of the wise/I guess I'm paying for it now/Thinking less about more and more about who I wanna be/When it all shakes out”
“Somewhere South With Rum”
On every Jake Owen album, you expect beach songs. But what if I told you there’s a beach song that is also one of those really subtle, really good with great detail songs…and that they’re the same song? Yeah, that’s “Somewhere South With Rum”.
This song tells the story of a man, presumably on vacation, seeing a postcard and mailing it to his ex. He sits on the beach while reminiscing about her and tells her that he hopes that she’s happy and that she got to do all the things she wanted to in life. He really truly wishes her the best and vocally, Owen’s voice shines here. It’s a great mix of sincerity and honest reflection as it feels like Jake is playing the guy that came to terms with the breakup as well as the guy that sees the value in that past relationship. You can almost hear the smirk when he sings “The tiki bar behind me's playing "No Woman No Cry"/So I'll just sit and sing along, and drink to you and smile'“.
It’s a beautiful, if not somber song.
Favorite Lyric: “Even though we're over, I thought this was overdue/I wonder what you'll think about when you see my name/The good, the bad, the in-between, I'ma send it anyway”
“Loose Cannon”
Ooh boy, what a title track. Solo writes are some of the best, because it allows a singular voice to be heard. Matt Roy nailed it with this one.
It’s the classic story of opposites attracting and being what the other needs. It’s more list-y than I’d like, but minus one hiccup (Saturday/Sunday example that’s always overused), I buy all the different ways that the narrarator compares his relationship. Lyrically, it also isn’t just a list song. It tells the story of them working through hard times, that her dad didn’t care for him, and that they made it on the otherside. It again talks a self reflective look where he admits faults and that the relationship wasn’t always perfect. Which I’ll always support that idea. I love the idea of a guy saying, “As long as you’re here and willing to work with me, I’ll work with you” instead of the guy just giving in and romanticizing her endlessly. It’s just a really pretty song, and I love the “old Bob Seger records” line.
Favorite Lyric: “I'll love you 'til my wheels fall off
With all my reckless abandon/Yeah, as long as you're my anchor/Baby, I'll be your loose cannon”
Final Thoughts
So, some final thoughts is that is this album hits a really great spot for me. I’ve long been a Jake Owen fan and Loose Cannon may be his best album, start to finish. Which is tough, considering the length of the project, but there are very few songs that I just don’t care for and absolutely none that I downright don’t like or that I hate. I wish there was one really amazing, true standout song like “LAX”, but this album still has multiple top 5 Jake Owen songs for me I think. This album is going to be one that sticks around a little longer than most, which I always think the goal is for any newly released project. Truly hope this one finds some success, sales AND critically acclaimed-wise. It has too many good songs to be pushed aside, like Greetings from…Jake did. My favorite thing about this project is that it’s content is just so much more mature. While he didn’t write them, it seems like Jake is picking solid and great tunes that show how much he has improved as a man, a friend, a father, and an artist and we love seeing positivity and progress. Even when the original Jake Owen was so good to begin with.
Single predictions: “On the Boat Again”, “Solo Solo”, “Friends Don’t Let Friends”, and hopefully “Loose Cannon”, if the album cycle goes long (it will.).
I linked the album below, and as always if you have any requests for future installments, hit me up on Twitter!
