Album Review: Gary Allan – Greatest Hits

I’ll start off by disclosing that Gary Allan has been among my favorite artists since I discovered him a little over six years ago and pretty much anything I say about the guy is going to be a little biased. I can’t help it though, he consistently puts out insanely, superb material and in my humble opinion is sorely under appreciated. I’ve had friends who wouldn’t have anything to do with country music until I used brute force to make them listen to Smoke Rings In The Dark. Needless to say, they were converted.

But, I digress. Last month I asked if there was still any significance to Greatest Hits albums with the dawn of digital downloads and the answers were overwhelmingly in favor of them for the sheer reason that if you haven’t listened to an artist much in the past the hits album is a great place to start. So, if you haven’t heard very much Gary Allan in the past, start off with the Greatest Hits. If you become enamored with his sound, go back and check out some of his previous albums. He has plenty of jewels waiting to be discovered, and if you’re looking for a recommendation, my personal favorite album is Smoke Rings In The Dark.

The only two songs on the Greatest Hits that weren’t included on a previous album are “A Feelin’ Like That” and “As The Crow Flies,” although the former has been released as a single for a while now. “As The Crow Flies” is an upbeat song that Allan almost screams about a free spirited guy always on the run, “the next town is never too hard to find, it’s never that far as a crow flies.” Despite the quasi-screaming, I like the song, it’s a southern rock sound that works for him and will surely get the crowd into his live shows. “A Feelin’ Like That” is a quintessential Gary Allan song about a guy who has “done it all and seen it all” but can’t find anything that gives him the same feeling as a former love that he left behind.

I’d love to be a little indulgent and go on and on about the rest of the tracks included on the album, but I’ll spare you all the gushing and just say that Allan is highly recommended by me.

Tracks

1. A Feelin’ Like That
2. Right Where I Need To Be
3. Songs About Rain
4. Smoke Rings In The Dark
5. Her Man
6. Best I Ever Had
7. Nothing On But The Radio
8. Man To Man
9. The One
10. Lovin’ You Against My Will
11. It Would Be You
12. Man Of Me
13. Tough Little Boys
14. At The Crow Flies
15. Life Ain’t Alway Beautiful