Calgary Soul/Blues Powerhouse OLLEE OWENS Released New Album, Nowhere to Hide
Canadian soul/blues powerhouse singer Ollee Owens has released her new album, Nowhere to Hide, through her Ollee Owens Music label imprint.
Produced by Bobby Blazier, the music on Nowhere to Hide is also graced by the presence of Muscle Shoals all-star guitarist Will McFarlane on eight of the album’s eleven tracks.
“The writing of ‘Some Days’ came out of a desire to acknowledge the ups and downs of our day-to-day experiences and at the same time call out the resilience of the human spirit no matter what we come up against,” Owens says. “Sonically, we imagined it as a blues-infused song that leaves the listener feeling happy. It was recorded in Nashville with some of the best session musicians in Music City: Chris Rodriguez, Craig Young, Bobby Blazier, and DeMarco Johnson. The energy in the room that day was palpable as the song began to take shape, capturing exactly what I heard in my head when we wrote the song, resulting in a soulful and hope-filled anthem.”
After returning to music a decade ago and releasing 2022’s Cannot Be Unheard, the Calgary-based blues/rock singer is better than ever with her latest dazzling, down-to-earth studio album Nowhere to Hide. It’s one teeming with stylish, sophisticated jewels mined from blues, rock, and soul.
Nowhere to Hide features eight co-writing credits by Owens and a few covers, including Bob Dylan’s “Lord Protect My Child.” Whether it’s Owens’ confident delivery fueling the driving title track, the infectious “Some Days,” or the deliciously well-crafted “Shivers and Butterflies,” Owens is as dynamic as the eleven-track album is flawless.
“I learned so much,” Owens says of the creative process, “especially, vocally, as there was real opportunity to dig deeper and embody the lyrics.”
Nowhere to Hide, recorded at Nashville’s Sweetbriar Studio and Gnome Studios, shines with help from a who’s who of acclaimed Nashville session musicians Blazier brought to the album.
“Bobby has an incredible ability to bring people together,” Owens says of Blazier. “We all got in the studio together, gave it everything we got, and made some great music.”
That great music derives from Owens’ backstory in the farming community of New Bothwell, Manitoba. As a teen, she gravitated toward Dylan, Delta Blues, The Staple Singers, and Etta James.
“When I came back to creating music, I really realized the depth and influence that particular style of music had on me,” Owens says of her early listening habits.
Owens and her husband started their family early and had three daughters, one of whom has a cognitive disability. After some soul-searching, and realizing her daughter had exceptional needs, she took a hiatus from music.
“I focused on being present and engaged for my daughters,” she says.
As a result, “Lord Protect My Child” strikes an emotional chord as Owens pours her soul into it.
“That song has really become close to my heart,” she says. “My daughter is twenty-three now, but there’s still a lot of vulnerability there. The desire for protecting and taking care of her will never go away.”
Owens will be playing a Canadian concert in October celebrating the release of Nowhere to Hide and has plans for further touring in the spring. She’s also performed at the Roots Blues and BBQ Festival in Drumheller, Alberta, and Calgary’s National Music Centre, among several other venues.
Now with Nowhere to Hide, Owens will have a larger fan base thanks to an amazing album you would be wise to experience wherever you get your music.