Allan doubles up
Thursday, January 31, 2013 – Gary Allan scored a chart double, notching the first number 1 album of his career on the Billboard Top 200 with "Set You Free" and enjoying the top Hot Country Songs chart lead with Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain) for the week ending Feb. 9.
On the songs chart, Allan took over for The Band Perry's Better Dig Two, which slipped to second. Hunter Hayes remained third with Wanted, as did Florida Georgia Line in fourth with Cruise and Jason Aldean's The Only Way I Know with Luke Bryan and Eric Church.
Carrie Underwood broke into the top 10 with Two Black Cadillacs going from 14 to 10. Thompson Square climbed from 24 to 21 with If I Didn't Have You. Casey James re-entered the chart at 24 with Crying on a Suitcase in its 24th week on the chart. Miranda Lambert was 25th with Mama's Broken Heart, up 4. Florida Georgia Line held the 27th spot with Get Your Shine On, up 3. Chris Young made it into the top 30 with I Can Take It From There, which went from 31 to 30.
Allan took over the albums chart from Taylor Swift whose "Red" slipped to second. Randy House debuted in third with "How Country Feels." Florida Georgia Line were fourth with "Here's to the Good Times" and Aldean fifth with "Night Train."
Eli Young Band jumped from 33 to 14 with "Life At Best." "Tim McGraw & Friends," a duets disc by McGraw of previously released material, debuted at 18. Kenny Rogers was one of the few artists to have an increase in chart position. "Amazing Grace" skyrocketed from 62 to 32.
On the Bluegrass Albums chart, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
stayed first with "Timeless Hits From The Past: Bluegrassed." Trampled by Turtles were again second with "Stars And Satellites" and Old Crow Medicine Show third with "Carry Me Back." Punch Brothers held fourth again with "Who's Feeling Young Now?" and Yo-Yo Ma/Stuart Duncan/Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile again fifth with "The Goat Rodeo Sessions."
On the overall top 200, Swift was 9th, Houser 11th, Florida Georgia Line 15th and Aldean 25th.
More news for Gary Allan
CD reviews for Gary Allan
Get Off on the Pain
The title may not evoke pretty images, and Gary Allan makes it clear where he's coming from, starting with the title. This is not the feel-good, pop country infiltrating the country airwaves these days. Life and especially love ain't easy at all, and Allan makes damn sure you know that in case it wasn't absolutely, positively clear.
Allan's voice is killer, easily one of country's best, and he utilizes that to great effect here (as usual). There's a tremendous »»» |
Living Hard
Gary Allan's latest album shows the musician branching out slightly from his roots rock-meets-country feel of previous albums with the pretty, Americana-laced opener "Watching Airplanes" kicking things off. And while the song brings Tim McGraw to mind, Allan puts his own spin on it that comes complete with subtle strings. But the singer is intent on driving the same flavor home with the slow-building "We Touched The Sun" and later on with "Learning How To Bend" »»» |
Greatest Hits
Gary Allan always has exuded a coolness and attitude in his demeanor and music. He is cut from a different cloth - a surfer dude from California who decided on country. And while yet to achieve true star status after 6 albums, Allan has enjoyed sufficient success to merit a greatest hits CD with 15 songs including 2 new ones.
There's a lot of timbre and feeling in Allan's voice ("Smoke Rings in the Dark" where he goes soft and tough within a few bars, and "Her »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Music City goes (Boston) Pop(s) –
On the face of it, the idea of top shelf country songwriters coming up from Nashville to play with the Boston Pops may seem incongruous. The idea of the venerable Boston institution and fixture on the July 4 scene, playing patriotic songs doesn't have all that much to do with country.
The idea isn't without precedent, of course.... »»»
Concert Review: O'Donovan goes home –
Aiofe O'Donovan had plenty of reason to be filled with good cheer. This was a hometown gig, after all, and only three days before the release of her first full-length solo debut, "Fossils."
Joking that the audience was filled with people she knew from high school and her parents' friends, O'Donovan made it clear that Boston... »»»
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Fossils
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Pokey LaFarge
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