Rachel Owen: Press

In a pop world overpopulated with Sheryl Crow wannabes, an original voice such as Rachel Owen comes as a breath of fresh air..... An amazing talent who has a stunning, blues-stoked, personality-packed voice.... Her second, much-anticipated release Bombshell effortlessly weaves together blues, folk, rock, jazz and R&B grooves. As a songwriter Owen comes off as sometimes touching, sometimes dark-humored, at times off-the-wall outrageous...but always intriguing.

BOMBSHELL is the Rachel Own CD I’ve been waiting for since the first time I saw her perform live at Radio Café in Nashville…almost 6 years ago. This disc explodes with all of that live energy she seems to have suppressed on past studio projects. Within 5 seconds of hitting play my mouth dropped opened and it never really closed again. It’s a mix of rock, jazz, and country tunes sung by one of the best…good ole girls on stage today.

Caution should be considered when trying to drive to tunes like “Call Me Names.” Trust me, you’ll glance down and find yourself driving 100mph and not even know it. And without warning, Owen turns on the sex pheromones with “Mine.” Hopefully, you won’t still be in the car because you’ll have a hard time not ripping off your own clothes as well as those belonging to whoever else happens to be with you. But with all of this high energy assaulting your emotions, it’s great to find that Rachel hasn’t lost the art of the heart-wrenching ballad (“You Wanted Me”). They might be power ballads these days, but that’s fine with me. All in all, The Scribe can only sum it all up this way: BUY THIS CD. TODAY!

The production and musicianship on Bombshell is gritty and instinctive, the songs are fabulous, and the spirit of Rachel Owen herself – edgy, sensual, and irreverent – comes through loud and clear on every track. Not just in those killer vocals, but in the freedom and playfulness that her co-production leant to the whole project.

Her lyrics remind us that the best poetry is not flowery, but exact and close to the bone. Check out the frank bawdiness of Mine, the take-no-prisoners assault of Sugar, or the poignant romantic confession that is Peaches. You Wanted Me is so direct that it devastates. This is not songwriting 101: this is an artist who has developed a full-blown voice of her own, who can say things as a writer that no one else could say.

Pathos, Humor and Humorous Pathos delivered by a dynamic singer with LOTS of tone.

Rachel Owen - Bombshell /Dr. Earl Music Grade: A
Brace yourself, Becky…Rachel Owen is the real deal. [She has] a songwriting style and powerhouse vocals that are at perfect ease with a soulful cabaret ballad, a somber folk-tinged tear-jerker, or a roots rock rendition of a classic Joan Armatrading tune and a presence that demands the attention of every man and woman in the room

Brace yourself for a bombshell - Rachel Owen's new CD Bombshell, that is. Her tough, husky voice has a rich, yet "been there, wise to the ways of the word" quality that is familiar, yet somehow surprising.

Rachel composed nine of the ten selections (life, splinters and all) and plays acoustic guitar on many of them. The CD is part honky-tonk, part blues, part country, and part something one-of-a-kind, all its own. Although guitars, drums, bass, and piano abound in the instrumentals, listen for Billy Huber's slides on the trombone. They're fun and give a nostalgic twist to selections such as "Long Distance Love."

Be forewarned: like a street smart woman who is tough but has a heart of gold, the lyrics can be gentle, but they can also be bawdy at times, which might be appropriate for the genre but would make my grandmother blush! On the other hand, "Peaches," the story of a lifelong love, is especially notable for its sweetness. Get out your hanky when listening to this one!

Rachel Owen writes like a gutsy woman who can take whatever life dishes out (and who probably dishes it out herself) and has a voice to match. This Bombshell is a bombshell.

Bombshell - Rachel Owen (Dr. Earl)
Described alternately as a “cerebral hipster” and a “Mae West of rock ‘n’ roll,” the Nashville based Owen has a sultry rock passion and a singer/songwriter touch that gets her compared to Melissa Etheridge, Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams, or Elvis Costello “or whoever else makes that particular fan tingle” according to her MySpace description. You make the call after listening to her second CD release. There’s the likeable “The Divorce Song” with country pacing and a sharp needle; the wisened viewpoint of “Down” and “Sins;” the mature, jumpin’ “Long Distance Love” and the sweaty “Mine.” Owen’s clear voice goes from passion to breathtaking touch on “Peaches” and “Perfect on Your Mind,” then back to hammer-down rocker on the quirkily combative Joan Armatrading cover “Call Me Names.” The many sides of Rachel are quite interesting, so those into a varied yet passionate listening experience need to visit www.sonicbids.com/rachelowen or www.rachelowen.com to track down this disc.

Rachel Owen gives us a stylised mix of alternative country and Americana tinged with a subtle blues influence. Musically at times it may border on the old-fashioned, however lyrically, and in attitude, it is bang up to date. And apart from a great cover of Joan Armatrading's "Call Me Names", all songs are Rachel's own work.

The opening track "Down" is a superb bluesy sort of number, whereas "The Divorce Song" is an updated country style song for the generation where love and marriage are throw away commodities. With "Mine" she shows she is not afraid to throw in a bit of a Bette Midler style risqué number - "I like the way you make me sweat; by the time I knock on your door I'm already wet". With "Peaches" we have a slower emotional number that gets better with each listen, and "Sugar", done in a sort of 'bar room' style, is certainly a bit of an attention grabber.

Rachel has an impressive voice that is capable of handling several styles with equal ease, and she seems to know how to write the material to show it off to good effect as well. This album would certainly be a worthy addition to your singer/songwriter CD collection.