Gary Allan

Gary Allan won’t win any awards for authenticity, but he’s a damn better sight than such MOR pretty-boys as Tim McGraw, combining a Bakersfield-esque twang with a touch of power-ballad schmaltziness. Allan’s been making records for nearly 15 years with varying degrees of success, but 2005’s Tough All Over was one of his best, due in large part to its tragic genesis in the suicide of his wife. His relentless touring since then, which he said serves as a healing process, resulted in his latest, the masochist-sounding Get Off On The Pain, a road record that celebrates the grinding lifestyle of constantly moving with songs like the huge title track. 

Updated 04/06/2011