Gary Allan Returns with Long-Awaited New Album, ‘Ruthless’

Gary Allan is back with a brand new album. The country hitmaker just announced plans to release Ruthless, his first…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

May 7, 2021

11:48 am

Gary Allan; Photo by Eric Adkins

Gary Allan is back with a brand new album.

The country hitmaker just announced plans to release Ruthless, his first studio album since 2013’s Set You Free.

Out June 25, Ruthless includes 13 tracks and showcases Allan’s influences of the ‘80s and ‘90s. The collection was produced by Mark Wright, Tony Brown, Greg Droman, Jay Joyce, and Allan himself.

“This is a montage of everything I have done since my last album,” Allan shared in a statement. “It’s what I love. I remain influenced by the ‘90s — as well as by the ‘80s. Twenty-six tracks were cut for this album. Then I went back to the studio and recorded three or four more tracks. Then I returned for two more. From each of these many sessions, I stripped out the cool stuff that I wanted on the record.”

The California native announced the news on Thursday during a live stream from House of Blues Studios in Nashville. Along with the album announcement Allan shared the lead track, “Temptation,” which was co-written by Nicolle Galyon, Chase McGill and Jon Nite. Click above to listen.

RUTHLESS Track Listing:
1. Temptation (Written by Nicolle Galyon, Chase McGill and Jon Nite)
2. Waste Of A Whiskey Drink (Written by Josh Kear, Michael Hardy and Mark Holman)
3. Till It Felt Like You* (Written by Kyle Jacobs, Joe Leathers and Matt Warren)
4. Slide (Written by Ross Ellis, Alex Kline and Michael Whitworth)
5. Pretty Damn Close* (Written by Gary Allan, Sarah Buxton, Rodney Clawson and Matt Warren)
6. High As I’ve Ever Been* (Written by Matt Warren, James Slater and Skip Black)
7. What I Can’t Talk About* (Written by Jim Beavers, Lindsay Rimes and Matt Rogers)
8. SEX (Written by Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally and Matt Jenkins)
9. Trouble Knows Trouble (Written by Steve Bogard, Jason Sever and John Edwards)
10. Ruthless (Written by Hillary Lindsey, busbee and Ryan Hurd)
11. Unfiltered** (Written by Blair Daly, Brad Warren and Brett Warren)
12. Little Glass Of Wine* (Written by Jesse Winchester)
13. The Hard Way* (Written by Matt Warren and Carey Ott)

Produced by Mark Wright and Tony Brown
*Produced by Gary Allan and Greg Droman
**Produced by Jay Joyce

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.