Album Notes

Rachel Owen has been described as a “cerebral hipster”, “the ultimate saloon singer” and the "Mae West of Rock n Roll”. She has been compared to Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Melissa Etheridge or whoever else makes that particular fan tingle. Her songs are creations that can only be described as her own.

One of the leading lights of Nashville’s recent indie renaissance, Rachel Owen has opened for such revered songwriters as Todd Snider, Loudon Wainwright III and Steve Forbert. Her strong performances have drawn a great response from audiences throughout the USA.

What Folks in the Know are Saying about BOMBSHELL

“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!
--Mari Jo Bramble, The Scribe

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.
--J. Michael Kearns, author

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.
--Ron Young, critic for Music Row Magazine