Greatest Hits (CD - 2007)

Personnel: Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Michael Rhodes (bass instrument); Jerry Flowers (background vocals); John Willis (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Brent Rowan (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore (steel guitar); Chad Cromwell (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Wes Hightower, Perry Coleman (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Greg Droman.

Recording information: Blackbird, Nashville, TN; East Iris, Nashville, TN; House Of Gain, Nashville, TN; Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN.

As a Californian, country traditionalist Gary Allan came by his Merle Haggard/Buck Owens-inspired sound naturally. From his 1996 debut on, he never dropped his twang or his honky-tonk groove, regardless of changing fashions. GREATEST HITS chronicles a decade of Allan's honest, sometimes emotionally intense country music. Over the years, he ranged from purposefully retro tracks somewhat akin to Dwight Yoakam's early material, to rougher-edged tunes whose gravitas was hard-earned in the wake of personal trauma. For the faithful, a couple of previously unreleased songs are included here, which hint at an expanded sonic palette for this reliably roots-conscious country star.

Gary Allan's Greatest Hits, released in 2007 by MCA Nashville, compiles 15 key songs from his back catalog. Most of the inclusions were bona fide hits, including a pair of number ones: "Tough Little Boys" and "Nothing on But the Radio." There are also two new songs, one of which, "A Feelin' Like That," was a number 17 chart hit at the time of the album's release. Greatest Hits thankfully includes only a song apiece from Allan's first two albums, Used Heart for Sale (1996) and It Would Be You (1998), which were released by Decca and are minor works in his discography. This leaves plenty of space on Greatest Hits for Allan's subsequent, notably better work for MCA: Smoke Rings in the Dark (1999), Alright Guy (2001), See If I Care (2003), and Tough All Over (2005). Each of these latter albums includes songs not included here that are worth hearing. Fans consequently will want to check out those MCA albums in full. As for casual fans who just want the radio hits without any filler, Greatest Hits has almost all of them and is an economical choice. Plus, it has "A Feelin' Like That," which can't be found elsewhere. Taken as a whole, Greatest Hits showcases Allan's accomplishments to date, which, with the exception of his early albums for Decca, are fairly impressive. He's carved out a respectable place for himself among contemporary country males. ~ Jason Birchmeier minimize