Gary Allan

Despite naming his sixth LP Tough All Over, it's clear by the second track that the title is a somewhat misleading moniker. "Best I Ever Had" is hardly a tough love song, but you can't really expect that since this is Allan's first offering since his wife's suicide. That said, this album is diverse in moods, but loaded with powerful songs and stark, potent imagery.

Country singers are notorious for serving up contrived tales of heartache with a wink and a
smile (see "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" et al), but Gary Allan's mournful sixth
album is, unfortunately, chillingly authentic. Recorded in the wake of his wife's suicide,
Tough All Over lives up to its title with tearjerkers like "Putting My Misery on Display," "Life
Ain't Always Beautiful," "Ring" (featuring the line "I'm sure gonna miss the hand th... More >