The Saga…Will most likely go out on a date with you

22. Gary Allan – Tough All Over (2005)

Allan wrote this album shortly after his wife had committed suicide in 2004, and has to be the most personal album of the decade. Even if you don’t like country music, if you want to see how dark and deep and album can get, pick this up. The nice thing about it is that it has a nice rock edge to it, which makes it marketable to a larger crowd and may have even influenced people like Jason Aldean. Many will remember from this album the resurgence of “The Best I Ever Had” a Vertical Horizon song that was released in 2001, personally I think Allan does it better here and has more meaning. Even if you don’t like country…this album is worth your time, it’s captivating every second.

Recommended Tracks: “Tough All Over,” “Best I Ever Had,” “Promise Broken,” “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” “What Kind of Fool”