Born and Raised in New Orleans singer Rebecca Owen left her hometown ten days before Katrina hit the country.  Not because she had a crystal ball, but because her husband is working in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Out of love this girl moved to the west, heating up the already warm town and starting a storm of her own as a country singer in The Cowboys Club, where she became a regular performer.

Together with a new-formed band she opened for people like Jack Ingram & Little Big Town and shared the stage with Emerson Drive.  Rebecca Owen is working on her skills as songwriter but for her self-titled debut, she “borrowed” some well-known country songs and filled it up with tunes written for her.  Opening track is the immense popular “Sidewinder”, the ultimate bad boy song, according to Rebecca Owen!  “Sidewinder” is written by her personal friend Ken Russel a professional songwriter, who really knows how to make a great song.  Sidewinder is indeed kickin’ some ass both on stage and on the net, where it ‘s on of the top favorites tunes on myspace.  Second tune on the album is a cover by Olivier Lieber.  His “World Without You” is a very emotional pop ballad that opens like a tune of Hooverphonic. However once she’s started the tone changes and the country influences start top drip in. More interesting covers on this album are the Hank Williams Sr. tune “My heart would know”, Lucinda Williams “I lost it “ and Rodney Crowell’s rocking Honky Tonk tune “I Ain’t Living Long Like This”.

The tunes Rebecca brings are well chosen, sometimes for the music or the lyrics but sometimes for a totally different purpose!  Like the Hank Williams Sr. tune “My heart would know”, this one is not only a homage to Hank Williams, but it is also paying tribute to a complete era of country music.  Or take for instance Sherrie Austin’s “Tenderly”.  According to Rebecca, she sang that tune at a senior talent show of her catholic school. Rebecca had no idea the tune was in reality about one-night stands, so when she found out about it, the deed was done and it’s not hard to imagine the administrators and teachers where not too pleased about it.  However it seems that Rebecca has a very good attitude.  “F*ck school and their narrowed minded teachers” she must have thought when she was recording “Tenderly” for this album.

The self-titled album by Rebecca Owen is a pleasure for the ears!  Filled with Ballads, good rocking tunes and some typical country songs this debut is the start of something big! Rebecca enjoys every facet of being a country star and that’s exactly what you hear on her album, a girl who gets in the tunes instead of simply performing them. Add to that the impressive three octave vocal range by which she produces every note crystal clear and you know what you have in store!

Mr Blue Boogie.