Gary Allan
“Set You Free”
MCA Nashville
Gary Allan’s new single, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain),” shot up the country singles chart so rapidly his label bumped the release date of the album “Set You Free” forward two months. The Southern California-bred singer and songwriter has often brought more depth to his songs than the gardenvariety “hat act,” and this one’s no exception.
There are a number of other potential hits here, but the album itself is more than a compendium of de rigueur heartfelt ballads and up-tempo country rockers. Allan charts an exploratory course through the myriad facets of love, loss and all its ripple effects through a dozen songs, five of which he co-wrote with various collaborators.
The opening track, “Tough Goodbye,” written by Josh Thompson and Tony Martin, highlights the regret that can come with a farewell. “Every Storm…” follows, offering some consolation amid the pain, while “It Ain’t the Whiskey” and “You Without Me” delve fully into the downside of the wayward lover’s ways. By the time he reaches the bouncy, reggae-tinged “No Worries,” a slice of light begins to cut through the darkness, showing the way into healing represented by “Pieces” and the album’s closer, “Good as New.”
Allan has experienced all that firsthand, and there’s no mistaking the sound of authenticity in his delivery.
— Randy L ewis