You know that hard to quantify feeling that people always describe as “I don’t know what it is but that guy has it”? Well, that’s the immediate feeling I get when listening to Jake Owen’s new single “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” Unlike quite anything he’s recorded and released before, the song starts off with acoustic ‘arena-rock’ like guitars which segue in to the first verse where Jake sings in a voice that too is unlike anything he’s recorded before and by the time we hit the truly sing-a-long chorus, drum machines and banjos are added to the mix and if I had to say this song reminded me of any artist it is Mark McGuinn as the song is catchy, melodic and rhythmic and damn if it doesn’t sound so good.
Sure these lyrics don’t say a lot or as much as people may want from their country music and the song may be more ‘pop-leaning’ than some people would expect from Jake Owen but it’s certainly a step in the right direction for one of country’s most gifted performers and vocalists and it’s a really fun, summer party anthem and is part of a string of new singles (along with Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, The Dirt Drifters and Jason Aldean) that will certainly be the soundtrack of the summer of 2011.
Some songs say a lot, some songs say a little while giving off a fun, good time vibe and that’s all most people want out of their music, to escape from daily life and have a good time. If that’s the mission of “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” consider it a success.
Listen: "Barefoot Blue Jean Night"
Buy: Amazon
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