Allan’s worth a listen

By Jane Norris

Published: May 1, 2008

So you’ve heard Gary Allan’s hits — “Her Man,’’ “Smoke Rings in the Dark,’’ “Right Where I Need to Be,’’ “Best I Ever Had.’’ But if you haven’t heard him sing his other material in person, you’re missing out, says one loyal fan.
Pam Garrison of Country 99.7 WCYK-FM has seen Allan perform quite a few times — “just to be on the safe side, ten,’’ she said — and has met him several times.
“He is probably one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet,’’ said Garrison, who’s on WCYK’s “Bill and Pam in the Morning’’ program from 6 to 10 a.m.
Fans will get a chance to hear the California-born country star’s music Thursday at the Charlottesville Pavilion. James Otto and Sons of Bill will open the show for Allan.
Garrison’s advice for fans — and folks who don’t know yet that they’re about to become fans — is that “if they miss this show, they’re going to regret it,’’ she said. “Go see him live, because, I’m telling you, you’re going to be hooked.’’
Allan’s tell-it-like-it-is approach has resonated with fans since his first album, “Used Heart for Sale,’’ and brought a wider audience since he released “Smoke Rings in the Dark’’ and its breakthrough hits in 1999.
The secret is to get behind the radio hits and hear Allan sing the other songs from his CDs, “because he sings what he lives,’’ Garrison said. “Songs usually mean something to him.’’
Allan’s strong voice has a gritty edge and a been-there sincerity that give his lyrics extra dimension.
Allan’s 2005 album, “Tough All Over,’’ mined some shattering emotional territory. His wife, Angela, died in 2004 by her own hand, and Allan poured a whirlwind’s worth of feelings into the CD on such songs as “I Just Got Back from Hell.’’
His latest CD, “Living Hard,’’ takes a rocking approach to many of the songs, such as “Like It’s a Bad Thing,’’ but it doesn’t shy away from deeper matters. “Learning How to Bend,’’ for instance, charts his emotional growth since his tragedy and shows a survivor’s strength in building a life back a day at a time.
Garrison has been an Allan fan “since the beginning of time,’’ she said with a chuckle. “I’ve been there the whole time.
“For me to go into a smoky bar to hear him — that says a lot. I’m not a smoke person.’’
She first saw him when he toured with “Smo-ke Rings in the Dark,’’ and since then, she has been struck by the hold he exerts on his audiences.
“Something about him appealed to everybody,’’ she said.
To get a feel for Allan’s live performances, check out the video for “Watching Airplanes,’’ the first single from “Living Hard.’’ It includes footage from a variety of concert settings. Visit http://www.myspace. com/ garyallan and get a taste of smoldering stage presence to get in the right frame of mind for Thursday’s show.