What do country music icon Johnny Cash and sensational soul singer Brian Owens have in common?
Everything, according to Owens. He proves it on “Ring Of Fire,” the first single from his upcoming Soul Of Cash album. “Of all the singers and writers who have influenced me, the one who most helped me find my voice was Johnny Cash,” says Owens. “Partly that’s because I could never sound like him,” Owens continues. “When I listen to Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, they get inside of me. They infiltrated the fabric of my voice. But Johnny Cash was the switch that released so many other influences for me.”
Brilliantly recast as a Memphis-flavored soulful strut, with Steve Cropper-style guitar playing Cash’s famous mariachi horn intro, “Ring Of Fire” has special meaning for Owens. “Fire can cook your food or burn your house down,” he observes. “But fire in and of itself is not the issue of this song. It’s about respecting that fire, nurturing it, watching over it. Then, when it’s pure love that overtakes you, when it’s the love my wife gives to me, I fall into a burning ring of fire too — the fire of love burning in my heart.”
Owens recently debuted “Ring of Fire” nationally with an exhilarating performance on Paste Sessions Live in New York. Watch his stirring performance below:
Purchase Owens’ version of “Ring Of Fire” on iTunes.
@brianowenssoul
