CD review: Gary Allan, “Get Off on the Pain”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. Look for my interview with Gary Allan next week.
Country
Gary Allan “Get Off on the Pain” (MCA Nashville)
Compellingly raw, deeply personal and surprisingly soulful, Gary Allan affirms his unique status as a mainstream country-rocker with the heart of a honky-tonk maverick with the eminently listenable “Get Off on the Pain.”
Penned by Oklahoman Brett James, Bill Luther and Justin Weaver, the title track nonetheless opens Allan’s eighth album with an autobiographical feel. With his gritty vocals reverberating with honesty, Allan admits his affection for long shots and wrong roads while acknowledging he’s old enough to know better.
The California native, who will play March 20 at Norman’s Riverwind Casino, again taps the truth and vulnerability under his tough-guy persona with the confessionals “I Think I’ve Had Enough” and “Along the Way.”
Allan shows his sexy side with “We Fly by Night,” about a harried couple finding solace in the bedroom, then bares his soul with the R&B-tinged “When You Give Yourself Away,” about lovers opening their hearts to one other. He also broadens his outlaw country repertoire with the raucous “That Ain’t Gonna Fly,” which mingles classic pop and gospel flourishes with steel guitar.
But Allan is at his best when he’s crooning about heartache. With its clever turn of phrase and relatable lyrics, “Kiss Me When I’m Down” is one of the best country power ballads to come along in awhile.
Music doesn’t get much more personal and heartbreaking than the album’s closer, “No Regrets,” one of five tracks Allan co-wrote. With the stripped-down ballad, Allan frankly addresses the lingering pain over wife Angela’s 2004 suicide, while proclaiming “I know I’m blessed to have been loved like that.”
— BAM
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This is the best CD I have purchased in years! Every song is perfection. What a great talant!