Customer Reviews

Alright Guy

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a great album from Gary Allan. His fourth album shows the honky tonker showcasing more bawdy tunes than he has on his previous albums. The big hit from the album was the #1 hit "Man To Man", which was the third single from the album. Other released singles include the honky tonk driven "Man Of Me" and the ballad "The One". The title track was meant to be the fourth single, which would have been a controversial release, but instead they pushed for a the first single from his SEE IF I CARE album.

"The Devil's Candy" is one of my favorites, a great uptempo tune with a great chorus. His version of "What I'd Say" is well done, very haunting. "I'm Doing My Best", "I Don't Look Back" and "What's On My Mind" are other good uptempo country tunes. He does country as traditional as it can get, and his voice works well with the material. All this and more makes for a great release from Mr. Allan. Check this one out for sure!

This was Gary Allan's follow up to the critically acclaimed album SMOKE RINGS IN THE DARK. ALRIGHT GUY was a pretty successful album, though it remains to be seen why he is still not a leading male in country music. Allan represents what real country music is. He doesn't fluff it up with over emotion or anything else - just real country full of drinking, cheating, and more. This set showcases his vocals, even better than on past albums. The material is pretty bawdy, but good. "Man To Man" became a #1 hit, and the album also churned out hit singles like "The One", and "Man of Me". The title track was going to be a single, but was shelved when his new album was nearing completion. It would have been interesting to see country radio's reaction to the song, which includes pot smoking, drinking, unlawful behavior, and other taboos. "The Devil's Candy" is one of my favorites, it has single potential and would have been a hit I bet. He shows his softer side on ballads like "The One", "Adobe Walls", and "What I'd Say". The album closer "What Would Willie Do" is a great song to end the album with. Overall, a strong collection of songs.

I have seen Gary Allan in concert, and it is definitely a wild ride. He lives up to the promises he makes on his albums of a good-time country-rocker. I own all of his CD's, and this one is a close second to "Smoke Rings in the Dark" for his best effort. He has never liked to be pigeon-holed, but his music always lines up behind the now-trendy label of "Traditionalist Country". He has managed, after almost a decade, to maintain the sound that separates him from the pack, a guitar strong country-rock, without getting stuck in a rut. He plays to the young video-hungry crowd with fun, sexy videos, while still making music that doesn't sacrifice his largely adult audience. Though he writes very little, he selects songs with topics he knows about personally: heartache and moving on. "Alright Guy" is an album that lives up to all expectations. It has the right mix of old-style country, southern rockers and twang. I am not a girl who likes traditional country by the truckload, but I buy Gary Allan's CD's before I've heard even one song on them. I know it's a sure bet.
This disc has some beauties: "All Right Guy" is hilarious and you can just see Gary cracking up while he's singing it. "The Devil's Candy" has some outstanding guitar. "The One" is just about as sexy as it gets, in the same mood as "Lovin' You Against My Will" from his previous album. But "I'm Doin' My Best" has got to be my favorite. That song is just vintage Gary. This album is going on my top twenty, can't-live-without, take-to-a-desert-island list.

I haven't bought any music for over 10 years because I haven't found anything worth paying good money for but a few months ago I broke down and bought "Smoke Rings..." and was elated with my purchase. I bought "Alright Guy" the day it was released and while they are very different albums, I am equally happy with this new release.
I believe that "Alright Guy" is an effort for Gary Allan to pull himself away from the mainstream, dime-a-dozen, non-thought provoking country music that is getting so much air play right now. There are a couple songs on the album, which while excellent (Man to Man, What I'd Say - great tunes I sing in the shower), seem to be geared toward radio play - and frankly, since that's how money is made, good for him. But the majority of the album seems to be music that I would imagine he just liked when he heard it and now enjoys performing.
My favorite songs are "Alright Guy" and "What Would Willie Do?". They are simply fun songs that make me smile and I would love to hear performed in a bar somewhere. Neither of these songs have any hope of radio play but are both definately worth hearing.
I believe that my favorite part about this album is that it is not worried about political correctness or whether the music is appropriate for children (finally! music for adults) as so much of country music is today.
This is the kind of country music that has been ignored for way too long by the industry. This is a fabulous album and I hope it does really well, so that there is more of this type of music released.

All of Gary's previous disc's have a permanant place in my CD player and this one is going in right next to them! It is different from Smoke Rings in the Dark (also excellent) but no less listenable and, frankly, cool! There is nothing understated about these songs. They put an emotion out there and then never back off. "What I'd Say" for example is about heartbreak, country-style. It plays on the fact that love and hate really are two sides of the same coin and there is not an ounce of sap here! "Alright Guy" and "I'm doin' My Best" are witty and sarcastic and perfectly suited to Gary's unique voice. Most of the songs, though, are straight-up sexy. "Man to Man" and "Man of Me" are, I'm sorry, just plain yummy! The music is stylish, yes, but Gary has an edge to him that is highly original! To me, this is what I love about country music today. There is a traditionalism about it, but it is also fresh and contemporary. He is out there doing something different, so I suspect this CD will not get the airplay it deserves! Everyone should put this on their Christmas List!

Or else I might give it 4 stars. This just doesn't quite stack up because of the quality of songs here. You get 6 KILLER songs (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11), and the other 5 I'd give a lump grade of C-. It's not the performance or the musicianship, it's just the song choice. This is worth buying if you dig the singles, love Gary or want to take a break from cookie cutter neu-country... but a warning to those who loved the singles,: there are some edgy numbers here and some randy language.

There are some artists out there that I would buy their albums without hearing any songs on them. Johnny Cash and George Strait, and more recent acts Dixie Chicks and Gary Allan. "Alright Guy" is a superbly crafted album with so many styles it keeps the CD fresh and new each time you hear it. You can hear everything from hard core honky tonk "Devil's Candy" to Big Band era sound "What's On My Mind," and everything in between. Gary wraps his voice around each song to make it distinctly his.

The very thing that makes this album so great, it's diversity, might be what is holding Allan back from becoming a true star. Nashville wants nothing to do with you if you're into taking risks and sounding unique. I believe "Smoke Rings In The Dark" was a masterful CD, and this one falls just short of hitting that mark, but it's still better than 99% of the music coming out of Music City today.

Gary Allan returned in October 2001 with ALRIGHT GUY, the follow up to his hugely successful SMOKE RINGS IN THE DARK album. ALRIGHT GUY is country at its finest, its loud its twangy, its real man country in terms of the material. It's not trying to be anything it's just what it is, not trying to tone the content down at all. The album opens with "Man To Man" where a man confronts his lover's ex boyfriend. "The Devil's Candy" is pretty darn catchy and would serve well as a single. "Man of Me" was the album's first single, straight country pure and simple. "Adobe Walls" is classic country with a ballroom type feel to it. "The One" is a beautiful song which has been a huge hit for Gary. Other highlights include "I Don't Look Back", "I'm Doin My Best", "Alright Guy" and "What's On My mind", oh and check out "What Would Willie Do". Overall another great album from a talented guy.

Gary Allan struck big with "Smoke Rings in the Dark." It was a very tasteful album with a retro, California-sounding country feel to it. In "Alright Guy," Gary sticks with his retro, California country sound, but performs songs with lyrics that will shock most country fans. After listening to the title track, "Alright Guy," I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. The lyrics are almost like those that would be heard in alternative music. This is a very bold step for Gary by using lyrics that are normally taboo in country music. The album is definitely new and innovative for country music. I would recommend this album to anybody wanting hear something new and different. Best songs on the album are definitely the first single "Man of Me," the emotional ballad "The One," and the somewhat sacreligious "What Would Willie Do" where he hints that Willie Nelson is a Christ-like figure. This album is definitely in-your-face edgy country music.

The best mainstream country release of 2001. Gary Allan has followed up his seminal release "Smoke Rings In The Dark" (1999) with an even more diverse and entertaining album. He retains a traditional feel to his music through the plaintive Adobe Walls and the Willie Nelson tribute, What Would Willie Do. The CD's title track is a well-chosen and brilliantly executed version of Todd Snider's Alright Guy, which sets Allan apart from the rest of the male country set - there's a real edge to this music and it's not pretend. Allan has been playing bars since the age of twelve and his vocal style, with trademark rasp, is as distinctive an instrument as any other on the album. If you're bored and disillusioned with Toby Keith, Lonestar and the rest, buy this CD and then check out the latest by Rodney Crowell and Dale Watson on independent labels.