TO many it seems that country music depicts the sadder side of life.

They say that to sing the blues you have to have lived them. In Gary Allan’s it was leaving a demo tape in a car which, as a car salesman, he’d sold to a wealthy couple who were impressed enough to give him $12,000 to go to Nashville and record.

Along the way there are three marriages in less than 20 years, with one wife commiting suicide, and you have all the ingredients for his new CD release. Since debuting in 1996 with the gold-certified album Used Heart For Sale, Allan has earned a reputation as a country maverick who wears his heart on his sleeve. His 2005 album, Tough All Over, included songs written in the wake of his wife’s suicide. Since then he’s released a greatest-hits package and Living Hard in 2007. His new release shows an across the board talent of an artist who is comfortable with a hard driving rocker to the heart-felt ballad in which he amplifies emotions. It is a great modern contemporary release which I’m sure must give him an extra sense of satisfaction.