Country traditionalist Shane Owens' star is rising quickly. He recently appeared at the huge Randy Travis tribute concert in Nashville, and now his new single is hitting the right notes with listeners and critics alike.
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Owens released "All The Beer In Alabama" as his third single off breakthrough album Where I'm Comin' From. He wrote the tune alongside Dan Murph and Philip Douglas, both longtime Nashville songwriting veterans.
The track follows a faithful husband reassuring his significant other of his love. But that's not how you'd think the story goes from the start.
"She left the light on; she was waiting up," Owens sings. It sure sounds like we're headed for heartbreak. But instead, we get the story of a good man trying to make amends for accidentally staying out too late.
While the song still captures a shiny clean production (with a blazing guitar solo, no less), there's just something classic about it. Owens attributes much of his songwriting influence to 80s-era great Keith Whitley. Which makes perfect sense.
Owens replicates that same strong vibrato and trebly timbre that endeared Whitley to so many. The way he hangs on certain notes and phrases certain lines takes you decades back. But the song still feels like it has a place in modern playlists.
Radio DJs seem to agree. "Best traditional country I have heard in a while," legendary Grand Ole Opry host Bill Cody says of the song. That's high praise, and something that's sure to excite audiences hungry for music they grew up on.
Whether or not the song takes off on mainstream radio feels kind of irrelevant at this point. Owens started making music a long time ago. Several label deals fell through, and he spent a significant amount of time just trying to stay on his feet.
But now with Where I'm Comin' From, Owens has a record to be really proud of and the kind of buzz that captures fans and ensures a long career.
