(MCA Nashville) See If I Care is Gary Allan's aptly titled fifth studio release since appearing on the country music scene 8 years ago with his debut album, Used Heart For Sale, which spawned his first top-10 hit, "Her Man." Since that promising debut album, Gary has consistently put out solid albums that blend Bakersfield style honky tonk with alt-country and flourishes of contemporary country. Also since his debut, he's been a constant presence on country radio, quietly racking up hits without pandering to mainstream Nashville's generic pop-country as most of his contemporaries have. Instead, he has proven fearless (by today's mainstream standards) in choosing strong material that runs the gamut from whiskey soaked honky tonks and heartache to edgier songs that are pure smouldering, sensual passion, all delivered with a voice to match. Thus Gary Allan has set him apart from the rest of the pack with an unmistakable and highly distinguishable sound of his own, however he has yet to achieve his breakthrough that puts him on equal footing with many of his flashier and less substantial peers. 

Where Gary went for a harder, more alt-country leaning sound on his last release Alright Guy, which provided some gems but was a bit uneven, on See If I Care, he returns to a sound more reminiscent of his earlier triumph, Smoke Rings In The Dark. The disc opens with the raucous honky tonker "Drinkin' Dark Whiskey," and later on, Jim Lauderdale joins Gary on vocals on the smoking south-of-the-border inflected Bakersfield sound of "Guys Like Me," telling the tale of how the country music industry's trying to put hardcore country artists out to pasture. "Nothing On But The Radio" is a sexy double entendre song with an infectious mid-tempo Latin cha-cha beat that was supposedly first pitched to George Strait who turned it down because he felt it was too risqué. A standout ballad, "Songs About Rain" effectively conveys the desperation of a man yearning for songs that won't add to his heartache. Gary revisits the smoky retro sound that ran through Smoke Rings in a few songs, where he really sinks his teeth in and delivers his trademark fabulously smouldering, sensual vocals. In the title track "See If I Care," he delivers defiance in the face of the pain of heartbreak. The percolating, sultry Latin tinged melody of "Don't Look Away" confronts a lover's honesty, while the mid-tempo ballad about second chances "You Don't Know A Thing About Me" offers up an aching bittersweet disappointment. In the moody "Can't Do It Today," there's an edgy bitterness in this kiss off to a cheating lover.

See If I Care's highlight is perhaps his version of Jesse Winchester's hauntingly bittersweet tale of the darker side of show business, "A Showman's Life," on which he duets with Willie Nelson. Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris delivered a showstopping rendition on Buddy's 2002 release Midnight & Lonesome. While there was no doubt that Willie would be able to easily pull off this world weary road warrior tale, as did vets Buddy and Emmylou, I was a bit skeptical that the much younger Gary could beat the Miller/Harris version. I should've known better. As he did with previous songs like "What Would Willie Do?," "Alright Guy," or "She Loves Me, She Don't Love You," he may not have surpassed the originals, but he surely equalled them. He does the same on "A Showman's Life." While the former version is somewhat starker, Gary's is every bit as aching and lonely- the arrangements are just somewhat different but the message is delivered with the same outstanding results, making both versions of a song once again a virtual draw. The first single off the disc, "Tough Little Boys," is a sentimental song about fatherhood that's strikingly not Gary's usual style of song. However as a father, the song hit a chord with Gary, and he felt that while he doesn't go in for 'sappy' songs, this one was well written and put his own feelings into words. The song is well written, though in the wrong hands could have been an over-the-top saccharine mess. However, Gary wisely reigns in his vocals and instead delivers it with an understated tenderness that veers it away from being overbearing. Still, in the context of the entire disc, the song sounds out of place with the rest of the material.

The sadly underappreciated and overlooked Gary Allan is one of the very few original and consistently strong mainstream country artists out there today. However, he appears to be far more content with creativity and taking commercial risks with his music than playing it safe to gain 'superstar' status. Hopefully his time will come when he finally gets the recognition he rightfully deserves to take him to that level. In the meantime, fortunately for us, he continues to turn out solid efforts, and See If I Care stands as one of his best.                                   

Standout Tracks: "Drinkin' Dark Whiskey," "See If I Care," "Songs About Rain," "Guys Like Me," "A Showman's Life"

The Last Word: See If I Care is another strong effort by Gary in the vein of his stellar Smoke Rings In The Dark. Lots of meat with very minimal filler...and oh, that voice.

OnThe Net: www.garyAllan.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack November 2003