It’d be very easy to dismiss Gene Owens as some kind of dippy hippy, with his head stuck up his own arse. After all, politics and music don’t go together, right. FUCKING WRONG! We’re supposed to be living through the largest anti-war protest movement since the early seventies, and where are the great records about this? Where are the pop stars with a conscience? Nowhere. It’s left to Gene Owens to put out HIS OWN RECORD to complain about what’s going on. Shame on the rest of you.

In truth, Gene makes music that could easily have been around in the early seventies, but it’s pleasant enough for sure. Indeed, there are hints of the Posies here and there, and tracks like ‘War Machine’ fair knock your wig off.

So, like a alt.country Housemartins, Gene Owens is here to take you by the testicles and drag you screaming towards the light. And good on him for not wanting to choose between lesser evils. Take heed you slack trousered bastards who fill my ears every day!

Indie-Music.com Review
Review by: Kevan Breitinger
Date: 3/5/05

A bit of a time-traveler, this Gene Owens, casting the fairy dust of the ‘60s over his second CD, both musically and visually. It’s not that his music doesn’t contain energetic hooks, edgy intensity, and a perspective that is completely contemporary, because it does. It’s more due to his success at combining soulful songs of the heart with powerful political commentaries, which hasn’t often been done well since that great era of anti-establishmentarianism. It now seems to be a growing and welcome phenomenon, and Gene Owens is right on time in every way.

He’s got a label-worthy single on his hands with “All I Need,” the Byrds-like catchy opener loaded with jangly hooks and soaring choruses. The solid rhythm section stands out on “War Machine,” the agonized reaction to our 9/11 response. The agony continues with the poignant “Cry For Help,” the baritone guitar leading to the bridge through gorgeous changes. Beautifully orchestrated, it drips with a palpable melancholy. The gently soulful Liz Berlin powerfully sweetens “Never Change.” The angry attack of “Pretty Lies” is constrained and channeled perfectly into a forum of funk:

And don’t you deny
all these bodies that you hide
don’t you deny
that this blood was shed by your lies ...

Major soul-baring on the standout track, “Into Me,” the sweet and soulful acoustic guitar laying open Owen’s heart. By the time the achingly lovely flugelhorn enters, you’re already captivated. This may be the most romantic song I’ve heard in a year, and by romantic I mean a perfectly articulated, beautifully descriptive, and breath-takingly arranged love song. I’m not generally big on romance, but I could wear my fingers out hitting repeat for this one. My only complaint is the odd placement. I’d have closed with it rather than leaving it juxtaposed as it is between the two rants.

It’s back to the ‘60s for pessimistic closer “Election Day,” strongly reminiscent of Dylan at his most disdainful, that mournful voice and harmonica carrying you back through the decades. His willingness to put himself out there to make a difference is admirable, and the music that carries his message carries great appeal as well, so I think he’s already successful on his own terms. The amazing love song is pure gravy.

2Walls Webzine Review
Review by: Brendon McCullin
Date: 1/15/05

Let's be honest, politics hasn't really been a favorite subject of songwriters since the ‘60's. Maybe the occasional All-Star “cause” song here and there but there's really been no great rush of artists trying to tie political consciousness and activism directly to their music. Thanks to George W. Bush's presidency however the times just might be a changing. At the very least, LA-based singer/songwriter Gene Owens is doing his part to put the message back in the music.

On his second album, Fugitive Moments , Owens has pulled off the impressive feat of crafting a tuneful pop record that, as the linear notes state, was inspired by an alternative history book ( A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn). Politics and the human condition are center stage throughout – the CD's packaging even includes a list of Internet addresses for organizations like Greenpeace and Democracy Now. The feel is kind of like what might happen if Matthew Sweet made an album produced by Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins.

It's not just the packaging and message that cast a ‘60's hue on Fugitive Moments though. The lush pop of “All I Need” and “Never Change” – complete with 12-string guitar and organ – harkens back to the golden age of the Beatles and the Byrds, with the later benefiting from a guest vocal by Rusted Roots' Liz Berlin. Meanwhile, “Election Day” – with its pessimistic view of both major political parties and harmonica solo – is the sort of anti-establishment anthem that would've fit in alongside Dylan and Baez.

Despite the feel, the politics are firmly planted in the here and now. Both “War Machine” and “Pretty Lies” display an unbridled anger at the current president's view of America and the world that's palpable.

It's impossible to say if there will ever again be a time when politically charged music is in vogue, but you have to respect Owens' forthrightness in laying out his beliefs. And setting a message to music is perfectly fine as long as the music itself actually measures up, which it does here.

It might not bring power to the people, but Fugitive Moments at least provides some good tunes to throw on while fighting the good fight.

Performing Songwriter Review
from the Jan/Feb 2003 Issue.

This young singer-songwriter, a Pittsburgh native now
based in Los Angeles, shows great potential. With major
label-worthy hooks and a slow burning intensity, Gene Owens
has put together a record that holds the subdued anger of
rockers like Staind and the vocal style of hard rockers like
Alice in Chains' Layne Staley, but still knows how to hold to
a restrained groove and simple metaphor. The ghostly pedal
steel on "Some Things Never Change" and the piano on
"Not the One" contrast well with the full-out Connells rock
of "Chance" and the acoustic intimacy of "Hollywood." As
he grows in experience and notoriety, Gene Owens will surely
become a notable name in the world of rock songwriters.

Lee County Courier
Thursday, May 1, 2003

Folk rocker shares pains of the road

By Jim Clark
Publisher

I’m always most impressed with singer/songwriters who
are willing to take that leap of faith. Gene Owens is
such a man. The 22-year-old musician was raised in
Pittsburgh, but by the age of 16, the road began
calling. Gene began in coffeehouses and clubs, and then
in 1998 relocated to Los Angeles, and the seed began to
take root for Beautifully Strange, his debut solo CD.
The collection of 11 heartfelt songs about the ups and
downs of life is a remarkable first effort by anyone’s
standards. The jumbo of the correct instruments to
enhance the wayward lyrics, mixed with Owen’s searching
croon, pull the project together perfectly.
My personal favorites are the crunchy rocker, “Falling
Down,” and the bittersweet “Hollywood,” which reminds
me of Steve Forbert’s “Tonight I Feel So Far Away From
Home.”

Supply encouragement by purchasing Beautifully Strange
at CDBaby, Amazon.com.