Startin' with Me

24-year-old country singer Jake Owen debuts with the self-assured--and largely self-written--STARTIN' WITH ME, a solid example of contemporary Nashville country that doesn't neglect its traditional roots. Neither as slick as Keith Urban nor as rock-influenced as Muzik Mafia types like Big & Rich or Gretchen Wilson, the Florida-born Owen is a contemporary analogue to the New Traditionalists of the 1980s. Though the debut single "Yee Haw" and the rebel-rousing album closer "You Can Thank Dixie" kick up a Toby Keith-style roadhouse fuss, old-school ballads like "Ghosts" are Owen's strong suit.