It Would Be You (CD - 1998)

Personnel: Gary Allan (vocals); B. James Lowry (acoustic & 9 string acoustic guitars); Rivers Rutherford, Jake Kelly (acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (electric guitar, tic tac); Jack Holder (electric guitar); Paul Franklin, Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); Hank Singer; Glen Duncan (fiddle); Steve Nathan (synthesizer, Wurlitzer, piano, B-3); John Barlow Jarvis (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Michael Rhodes (bass); Chad Cromwell (drums); Tom Roady (percussion); Curtis Young, Dennis Williams, Harry Stinson, John Wesley Ryles (background vocals).

Recorded at Javelina Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

Personnel: Gary Allan (vocals); Jake Kelly, Rivers Rutherford, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); Jack Holder, Brent Rowan (electric guitar); Glen Duncan, Hank Singer (fiddle); Steve Nathan (piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Chad Cromwell (drums); Tom Roady (percussion); Curtis Young, Harry Stinson, Dennis Williams, John Wesley Ryles (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Greg Droman.

Recording information: House Of Gain, Nashville, TN; Javelina Studios, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: E.J. Camp.

Gary Allan's sophomore effort shows considerable growth since the release of his 1996 debut project, Used Heart for Sale, which seemingly filed away Allan's sharp honky tonk edge. This time out, some of the material reflects the soft pop fluff manufactured and sold as country music by Factory Music City, which don't necessarily show Allan in the best light. There are also moments when Allan sounds too much like fellow honky tonker Mark Chesnutt for his own good. Chalk this up to the Nashville production style. Allan's musical vision has always been firmly rooted in the work of George Jones, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, and Merle Haggard. These influences are evident in his cover of Conway Twitty's "She Loves Me, She Don't Love You" and the Marty Stuart/Kostas co-write "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long." Just as listenable are "I've Got a Quarter in My Pocket," "Red Lips, Blue Eyes, Little White Lies," and the only tune on the project that Allan had a hand in writing, "Baby I Will." Although Allan suffers in the face of the marketing blitz that surrounds his young career, this latter material makes up for it. ~ Jana Pendragon

Gary Allan's sophomore effort shows considerable growth since the release of his 1996 debut project, Used Heart for Sale, which seemingly filed away Allan's sharp honky tonk edge. This time out, the project suffers from over-production and some material that reflects the soft pop fluff manufactured and sold as country music by Factory Music City. Allan is not a pop singer nor a soft rock balladeer, and these schlocky, country radio-ready tunes do not enhance his position as a traditionalist nor do they show him in the best light. There are also moments when Allan sounds too much like fellow honky tonker Mark Chesnutt for his own good. Chalk this up to the Nashville production style. Yet, this is a danger the native Californian will hopefully be able to sidestep in the future, since his musical vision has always been firmly rooted in the work of George Jones, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, and Merle Haggard. These influences are evident in his cover of Conway Twitty's "She Loves Me, She Don't Love You" and the Marty Stuart/Kostas co-write "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long." Just as listenable are "I've Got a Quarter in My Pocket," "Red Lips, Blue Eyes, Little White Lies," and the only tune on the project that Allan had a hand in writing, "Baby I Will." Sadly, Allan suffers in the face of the marketing blitz that surrounds his young career. Too often the artist is lost in the product and the artist's true potential is never realized. In this case, only time will tell. ~ Jana Pendragon

Gary Allan is a surfer from Southern California, but you'd never know it from listening to IT WOULD BE YOU. Allan's taken care to pack his sophomore release with nothing but straight-up country songs from some of the finest writers in Nashville. Heck, he's even cut a song Conway Twitty wrote back in 1963 ("She Loves Me, She Don't Love You.") The material ranges from uptempo honky tonkers ("I've Got A Quarter In My Pocket," "Don't Leave Her Lonely Too Long") to melodic ballads ( "I Ain't Runnin' Yet," "I'll Take Today.")

Allan, with his slightly gritty voice, handles the range of material just fine. But his best performance, ironically, is on the CD's hidden track. "No Judgment Day" comes several minutes after the last listed cut, and tells the chilling story of a single violent incident which tears a small town apart. It's possible Allan hid the song to avoid being labeled "politically incorrect," but it seems strange to hide what is truly his album's most powerful moment. minimize