Tough All Over (Gary Allan album)
Tough All Over is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Gary Allan. It was released in October 2005 via MCA Nashville. It has been certified gold by the RIAA. Recorded after his wife's suicide, this album is more somber than his previous ones, with several of its songs termed to be "excruciatingly sad."[3]
| Tough All Over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 11, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Studio | The Sound Kitchen and House of Gain | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 47:13 | |||
| Label | MCA Nashville | |||
| Producer | Mark Wright Gary Allan | |||
| Gary Allan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Tough All Over | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[2] |
Two songs from the album were released as singles: "Best I Ever Had" (a cover of a 2001 Vertical Horizon song) and "Life Ain't Always Beautiful" . Both placed reached within the Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Critical Acclaim
Rhapsody (online music service) ranked the album number 7 on its "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" list.[4] "Allan's sixth album was the first one released after his wife of three years committed suicide. This collection of haunting, heartbreaking songs chronicles his pain and, ultimately, his path back to living. Steeped in grief, Tough All Over is one of Allan's most consistent efforts to date, thanks in part to his gift of conveying emotions like regret, heartbreak and emptiness in a single, well-phrased line. Country Universe said the album was the 3rd best of the decade.[5] Engine 145 country music blog list it number 7 on the "Top Country Albums of the Decade" list.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tough All Over" | Jim Lauderdale, Odie Blackmon | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Best I Ever Had" | Matt Scannell | 4:11 |
| 3. | "I Just Got Back from Hell" | Harley Allen, Gary Allan | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Ring" | Kostas | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Promise Broken" | Deric Ruttan, Margaret Findley | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Nickajack Cave (Johnny Cash's Redemption)" | Jamie O'Hara | 4:15 |
| 7. | "Life Ain't Always Beautiful" | Tommy Lee James, Cyndi Goodman | 3:44 |
| 8. | "He Can't Quit Her" | Casey Beathard, Ed Hill | 3:32 |
| 9. | "What Kind of Fool" | O'Hara | 3:57 |
| 10. | "Puttin' Memories Away" | Allan, Matt Warren | 3:32 |
| 11. | "No Damn Good" | O'Hara, Allan, Blackmon | 3:44 |
| 12. | "Putting My Misery on Display" | Allan | 6:07 |
| Total length: | 47:13 | ||
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.[7]
- Gary Allan - lead vocals
- David Campbell - string arrangements on track 7
- Perry Coleman - background vocals
- Chad Cromwell - drums
- Eric Darken - percussion
- Kenny Greenberg - acoustic guitar on track 2, electric guitar on tracks 2, 7, 8 and 12
- Wes Hightower - background vocals
- Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson - harmonica on tracks 1 & 7
- Jake Kelly - acoustic guitar
- Steve Nathan - B3 organ, synthesizer, piano
- Michael Rhodes - bass guitar
- Brent Rowan - electric guitar
- John Wesley Ryles - background vocals
- Hank Singer - fiddle
- Russell Terrell - background vocals
- Robby Turner - steel guitar
- John Willis - acoustic guitar
- Reese Wynans - B3 organ on tracks 3 and 10
Strings by the Nashville String Machine.
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 3 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 2005 | "Best I Ever Had" | 7 | 51 |
| 2006 | "Life Ain't Always Beautiful" | 4 | 61 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold |
References
- Jurek, Thom. "Tough All Over review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- Nash, Alanna (October 17, 2005). "Tough All Over review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- Sanneh, Kelefa (May 29, 2006). "Rascal Flatts and Gary Allan: The Yin and Yang of Stoicism". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" Archived 2010-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- Retrieved 17 March 2010
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2010-02-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- Tough All Over (CD). Gary Allan. MCA Nashville. 2005. B0003711.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "American album certifications – Gary Allan – Tough All Over". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.