Jake Owen was, by his own admission, in a dark place. Once the darling of country radio, with a string of hits like “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” “Beachin’,” and more, Owen was suddenly without a team, and without a record deal. At the same time, his personal life was fraying, and the father of two found himself very, very alone.
“In the last couple of years, I’ve gone through my second separation, going back to being just this single guy, not having a team, a record deal. I was alone,” Owen tells Taste of Country. “I felt really alone.”
“There were times where I felt like I had to get high so I didn’t cry,” he adds, referring to the Hank Williams Jr. song, “Feelin’ Better.”
View this post on Instagram
Jake Owen Readies ‘Dreams to Dream’ Album
Owen knew he still wanted to make music, but he wasn’t sure what the right next step should be. On a whim, Owen sent Shooter Jennings, famed producer and son of Waylon Jennings, a message on Instagram. Owen doubted anything would ever come of it, but he sent it anyway. The message simply said, “Hey, when are you gonna make my record?”
Jennings, to Owen’s surprise, immediately responded, breathing life into Owen’s dreams about new music.
“I got this feeling from Shooter,” the sober singer remembers. “He was like, ‘Dude, you’re awesome. And I can’t understand why you haven’t made an album of these songs that you sit there on Instagram with your guitar and play.'”
Owen immediately made plans to fly to Los Angeles to create what became Dreams to Dream. The record includes both cover songs and originals, but all songs that reflect where Owen is now, in his life and career.
“I’m 44 years old now,” Owen maintains. “I want to sing mature music. I want to be real with the people that are my fans.”
What Jake Owen Says About ‘Dreams to Dream’
Jake Owen is by now a veteran at making music. But with Dreams to Dream, Owen was ready to do something new. Almost 20 years after his debut Startin’ With Me came out in 2006, the Florida native was ready for a change.
“Sometimes you need to get outside what’s comfortable, what people think you are, or think you should be, and take a risk,” Owen tells MusicRow. “It really feels cathartic to be honest about a lot of stuff in my life—how I feel, where I see myself going, and how I see myself going there. Where I feel most comfortable is grabbing my guitar and singing a song that fits my voice really smoothly. I feel like it’s more honest. I’ve just become a guy that wants to sing songs for people that have also matured with me in my life.”
Dreams to Dream will be available on November 7. The record includes songs with Jamey Johnson and Savannah Conley. See a track list below.
‘Dreams to Dream’ Track List:
1. “Dreams to Dream” (Jake Owen, Ben Chapman, Kendell Marvel)
2. “Them Old Love Songs” (feat. Savannah Conley) (Donnie Fritts, Troy Seals)
3. “Long Time Lovin’ You” (Will Jones, Kendell Marvel)
4. “Wouldn’t Be Gone” (Troy Jones)
5. “The Jukebox Knows” (feat. Jamey Johnson) (William Beckmann, Jamey Johnson)
6. “Fool Like Me” (Kendell Marvel, Waylon Payne)
7. “Chill of December” (Jake Owen, Kendell Marvel, Channing Wilson)
8. “Middle Age Crazy” (Sonny Throckmorton)
9. “The One I Did it To” (Dean Dillon, Bob DiPiero, Scotty Emerick)
10. “You’d Think” (Chuck Cannon, Scotty Emerick)
11. “Wrinkle In The Road” (Scotty Emerick, Troy Jones, Paul Overstreet)
12. “So Long, LA” (Jake Owen, Kendell Marvel, Matt Pingel, Jimmy Ritchey, Channing Wilson)
13. “Voice Note to Shooter (Once And For All)” (Hank Williams, Jr.).
View this post on Instagram