Jake Owen: ‘Loose Cannon’ Album Review

With his unique beachy take on country music, Jake Owen is back with his seventh studio album, Loose Cannon, out now. Produced by Joey Moi, the sixteen track collection features Owen’s classic breezy sound mixed with clever lyrics and heartfelt ballads.

Coming over four years since his last full-length release, Greetings From…Jake, which featured hits like “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” “Made for You,” and “Down to the Honkytonk,” the Florida native is back with another collection of future chart toppers. With Loose Cannon, Owen is poised to reclaim his unofficial role as summer’s surefire hitmaker, enlisting co-writers that include Devin Dawson, Jordan Davis, Walker Hayes, Brent Cobb, Ashley Gorley, and more.

“I can’t wait to share this new wave of music with my fans,” shared Owen in a statement. “This album is a long time coming and feels like the best version of me. Grab your buddies, put the boat in the water, pour a cold one out, and we’ll catch y’all out on the lake. It’s the best time of year and we’re ready to celebrate.”  

Out of the gate, there’s the album’s first single, “On the Boat Again,” which sounds immediately familiar thanks to its reinterpretation of the Willie Nelson classic, “On the Road Again,” while still managing to put a new spin on it. With its airy production, it’s an immediate anthem for long days on the water.

Nostalgia weaves its way through much of Loose Cannon, echoing through songs like “Boy in the Chevrolet,” “The Ending,” and “Hot Truck Beer.” “Boy in the Chevrolet” reads much like a letter to his younger self, while “Hot Truck Beer” is a breezy look at the simplicities of life at seventeen, recalling hot nights and hot beer enjoyed in a truck.

“Smoking something from the center console // Drinking too early by a couple years // Alabama pumping out the Alpines Kool cigarettes and hot truck beer // Mama’s tears and daddy’s tough love // We knew better but we didn’t care // Didn’t have it all but it was close enough // ‘Cause of Kool cigarettes and hot truck beer”

“Friends Don’t Let Friends” and “Nothing” are immediate standouts; the former a classic country friendship drinking song as the superstar pulls up a barstool beside a struggling friend, musing “You ain’t on your own, and I ain’t going home, friends don’t let friends drink alone.” Meanwhile, “Nothing” is a toe-tapping ode to kicking back and relaxing, punctuated with catchy “nope, nope”s paired with the classic and immediately recognizable whistled theme song from The Andy Griffith Show.

“Nothin’ goin’ on all day long // Got a whole lotta nothin’ to do // I’m flippin’ that sign on the door of my life // Sayin’ I’ll be back in a few // Yeah, don’t get many days I get to kick it like Jimmy Buffet // But when I do, to tell you the truth, man, I lovе it”

“It Don’t, He Won’t and You Do” and “Hope Less” are two of the album’s strongest ballads, with the former being one of the more traditional country tracks, a classic broken down, broken hearted country ballad laden with slide guitars.  Meanwhile, “Hope Less” is a stirring ballad that finds him questioning someone who is trying to change who he is at his core. “You want to settle me down, why baby why?” He asks. “Now everything you want to change, ain’t that what made you fall in love with me?” 

“Solo, Solo,” “Go Getter,” and “Somewhere South with Rum” are tongue-in-cheek heartbreak anthems, laced with humor and a hint of lime as Owen kicks back with a drink to move on. On “Solo, Solo,” the clever lyrics find him “sippin’ on a Solo, solo” as he muses “It’s just me, myself, and this drink Kinda ironic, don’t you think?”

“Hearts and Habits” and “When It All Shakes Out” find Owen experimenting with different sounds, the former finds him falling prey to a “cowboy killer” in the form of a 5 ‘5’’ woman with brown eyes, who’s bound to “do some damage.” Meanwhile, “When It All Shakes Out” is introspective yet anthemic, twangy guitar resonating over a staccato chorus that’s sure to provide an exciting live moment that finds him pondering “Can you shake the hand of the man you’re gonna be when it all shakes out?”

“Hey Can I Buy You a Beer” is a sentimental love song that has Owen musing how far a relationship has come from where it started. “We caught lightning in a Miller lite can, call it good timing or the good Lord’s plan, Ain’t it crazy how we got here? // From a look my way to a ‘Hey can I buy you a beer?’”

The album ends with the title track, a poignant and slow build of a love ballad that finds Owen celebrating the fact that opposites attract.  “We’ll walk together, hand in hand, a good hearted woman and a hard headed man // As long as you’re my anchor, baby,” He croons, his voice heavy and rich with emotion. “I’ll be your loose cannon.”

While Loose Cannon may be Jake Owen’s seventh full length album, there’s no sign of staleness or boredom here. In fact, he sounds better than ever, continuing to stay true to what has made him a superstar while also trying new things. Here, he continues to do what he does best, mixing breezy summer anthems with clever country lyrics and heartfelt ballads.

Country Swag Picks:

1. On The Boat Again
2. Friends Don’t Let Friends
3. Loose Cannon
4. Nothing

Loose Cannon Tracklist:

1. “Hot Truck Beer” – Jordan Fletcher, Jim McCormick, Austin Nivarel
2. “Go Getter” – Brent Cobb, Jake Mitchell, Aaron Ratiere
3. “Solo Solo” – Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson, Blake Pendergrass, Hunter Phelps
4. “On The Boat Again” – Willie Nelson, Devin Dawson, Kyle Fishman, Rocky Block, Blake Pendergrass
5. “Hearts and Habits” – Thomas Archer, Jamie Moore, Jared Mullins, Ben Stennis
6. “When It All Shakes Out” – Jacob Davis, Jordan Dozzi, Josh Jenkins
7. “Hope Less” – Jared Mullins, Ben Stennis
8. “It Don’t, He Won’t and You Do” – Jordan Dozzi, Justin Ebach, Chase McGill
9. “Friends Don’t Let Friends” – Jessie Jo Dillon, Hunter Phelps, Ben Stennis
10. “Boy In The Chevrolet” – Ashley Gorley, Taylor Phillips, Bobby Pinson
11. “Shrank” – Lalo Guzman, Walker Hayes, Hunter Phelps
12. “Nothing” – Dallas Davidson, Kyle Fishman, Earle Hagen, Reid Haughton, Herbert Spencer, Cole Taylor
13. “Somewhere South With Rum” – Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins
14. “The Ending” – Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Chris Tompkins
15. “Hey Can I Buy You A Beer” – John Byron, Rocky Block, Travis Wood
16. “Loose Cannon” – Matt Roy

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Loose Cannon is out now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.