Living Hard

Gary Allan

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: October 23, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: MCA Nashville
• ASIN: B000TWKUN6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,672 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Gary Allan has long been the go-to guy for intelligent, edgy country music, informed by the sweaty honky-tonk of the stop-and-sock joints of Bakersfield, CA, and the angry rock & roll of seedy L.A. On Living Hard, he wisely refuses to reprise his previous studio album, 2005’s masterful Tough All Over, which framed the tragic aftermath of his wife’s suicide, even as "Yesterday’s Rain," a memorable lament, might make you think otherwise. Rather, Living Hard largely finds its inspiration in the hipper pop-rock that forged half of Allan's musical altar as a youth: the Eagles ("Like It’s a Bad Thing"), the Beatles ("As Long As You’re Looking Back"), the Rolling Stones ("Living Hard"). This homage is largely found in the instrumental dressings here, as Allan, whose guts-and-growl baritone always telegraphs as much resignation as rebellion, is too creative to salute those sounds outright. Nor is Allan going to corrupt his own authenticity: Co-writing six of the 11 cuts, he rarely rises above the melancholia that perpetually paints him as a man reeling from the jaw-breaking punch of fate that comes out of nowhere, best exemplified in the dazed glaze of "Watching Airplanes" and the brilliant barstool Zen of "Half of My Mistakes." But when he comes up for air, Allan sometimes does so with comic results. On "Wrecking Ball," a sexy roadhouse rocker hammered home on junkyard guitar, he tangles with the wrong woman, to cyclonic end: "She’s a tornado / I’m a trailer house / That girl’s a hurricane in a dress." Allan may be burning the candle at both ends, but on this song and elsewhere, he’s just as seduced by the mystery of his predicament as the rest of us. --Alanna Nash

Product Description

It's raw and emotional. It's freight-train-to-nowhere lonely. It's hard-rockin', no-apologies country music that has traded in its twang for a gravelly growl millions of fans recognize as the voice of Gary Allan. And with LIVING HARD, his latest release from MCA Nashville, Allan once again proves that, though times may change, the thread of truth at the center of his music remains the same. Features the new single "Watching Airplanes".

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Departure in Style, October 22, 2007

By	A* (New York, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

I love Gary Allan's voice. It's what country music is to me at it's best, full of emotion, gravel, weight and a sweetness just behind those bent notes. He doesn't let you down and always pushes what he has and that is a glorious voice and a great interpertation of songs.

This disc is VERY different from his last, where the last one was dark and dealt with personal troubles that went beyond the disc and pulled you further in as a listener, here Allan seems to be in a more contemplative state and more optimistic. Does it hurt the album? No, But its a different tone from everything he has ever done. The contemplative first single, "Watching Airplanes," with its pretty hook and high notes shows that his voice has gotten stronger and that's something I wasn't expecting -- but love. "Half of My Mistakes," shows off his new tricks to great ability. The lyrics are still Jim Beam deep, but these songs build up more towards their endings, like runaway trains.

Gary Allan is one of those singers who doesn't deserve to be under the radar. He should be mainstream, he should be getting awards, but he's quiet and gets it all done through concerts and the interaction he has with his fans, I have gone to see this man in concert more than a few times, and he never puts on a cruddy show. In a perfect world, a song like "Learning How to Bend," with lyrics like: "I'm just trying to understand/it's all in someone else's hands," and the killer howl he drops down at the center of the harmony would be a staple on radio.

The album is worth the price, Allan is in top form, and he's still putting out material that is leagues above what most country artists put out during their entire career these days.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun-loving, free-living record, October 23, 2007

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Gary Allan's last all-new studio effort, TOUGH ALL OVER, was a mournful record, written and recorded shortly after his wife's suicide. A GREATEST HITS followed, providing a good transitional buffer (most of Allan's hits have been mournful songs, after all). LIVING HARD is a return to the Gary Allan that we were introduced to, with a more rockin' edge that suits his voice and style perfectly.

LIVING HARD gives Allan a chance to cut loose. Sure, there are some more thoughtful numbers, such as the first single "Watching Airplanes," or the inflectional "Half of My Mistakes." But the true heart of the album lies in forgetting the sorrows, or at least whistling by them; Allan rocks it out on the title track, "Like It's a Bad Thing," and "Wrecking Ball," the latter one of the hardest-hitting rhythms in Allan's catalog. "She's So California" gets so caught up in describing a woman, it ignores the fact that "She's so cool, breakin' all the rules/Risin' star, she'll break your heart". "We Touched the Sun" details the relationship of a couple meant to be together, "Even if it's not forever...even if it's only for a little while."

Over all, the album is an anticipated departure from Allan's melancholy. Don't get me wrong--TOUGH ALL OVER is easily Allan's best record. But it's nice to have him rockin' out again, no cares or worries. He also co-wrote six tracks; thank God he's started writing more. Gary Allan is one of the best country musicians in the business--a singer, a songwriter, a guitarist (go to one of his shows...oh, man!). LIVING HARD isn't as good as its predecessor, but them I'm not sure any record could be. In a musical realm where radio embraces mediocrity, Allan stands out among his peers. As he himself sings: "I don't know about you, but I was put here to live and love/So what if i don't it like everybody else does."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps Getting Better, October 23, 2007

By	Bobbie Jo (Brownwood, Tx) - See all my reviews

If you loved Gary's 2005 release "Tough All Over" you will love the follow up "Living Hard". It is just as honest and true to life. It little harder and edger than most country albums but it's what Gary's good at. To quote a song from this album "So what if I don't do it like everybody else does" ("Like it's a Bad Thing") You can tell that he is still healing from his personal tragedy (as is expected) through his song writing , which shine through on this album. The title track "Living Hard" is an outstanding portray of living out on the road. However if you are looking for a love song like Gary's #1 "The One" you won't find it here, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the songs about lost loves. Tracks to check out #2 "We Touched the Sun", #4 "Like It's a Bad Thing", #7 "Wrecking Ball", #8 Yesterday's Rain & #11 the title track "Living Hard". (Really the whole album) I promise you won't be disappointed.