Review: ‘Ruthless’ – Gary Allan

Gary Allan’s 25 year career has seen him top the charts on several occasions and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ruthless didn’t follow in the footsteps of previous records such as ‘Set You Free’. The production and instrumentation draws from Allan’s 80’s and 90’s influences. Temptation kicks off the record with a very intriguing arrangement, from the high tones of the piano that helps to build suspense through to the full string arrangement, it’s an epic production. It knows when to give and take away, the stripped back arrangement and big drums on the chorus are really effective. The album as a whole lacks the emotional depth of previous records like ‘Tough All Over’ but Allan’s long-awaited tenth studio album packs a punch with songs such as Till It Felt Like You and the softer tracks like Pretty Damn Close, showcase Allan’s superb songwriting abilities. He teams up with current hitmakers such as Shane McAnally, Rodney Clawson, Hillary Lindsey and the late Busbee is credited on the album too. Whilst Allan enlists the help of Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Mark Wright and Jay Joyce for the production. On the whole it’s an arena ready collection of songs which is sure to delight Allan’s fans.