The title track is hot and smolders over his luscious voice. Other tracks, such as "Sorry" and the cover of "Runaway" have that 50's/60's sound to them, but Gary masters it beautifully. There are many heartbreakers on this album, as well as a few positive love songs. One of my favorites is "I'm The One," which Gary co-wrote. "Bourbon Borderline" and "Don't Tell Mama" are classic drinking songs. The album closes with "Greenfields," an interesting ode to the love he used to have.

I highly recommend this album to anyone who loves country music - traditional, pure, and just plain excellent!

Third is the charm!
This was the album where people finally started to take notice of Gary Allan. On his third album, he seems to find his footing and some great songs. Not that his first two albums were bad, quite the contrary they are great, but this album has songs that really captured the attention of the public at large. On this album he does an excellent cover of "Runaway", one of the best I've heard. The title track is smoldering piece of country music that was a good hit from the album. "Right Where I Need To Be" was another top 10 hit for Allan, and the haunting ballad "Lovin You Against My Will" cracked the top 40. "Sorry" is a fun uptempo tongue-in-cheek kind of song. There's some great ballads like "Cryin For Nothin", "Don't Tell Mama", and a few others. Overall a really strong effort from Allan that remains as one of his best.

Allan's Best Release To Date
Gary Allan got off to an inauspicious start in the record business with only one top ten country hit on each of his first two albums ("Her Man" on 1996's USED HEART FOR SALE and the title track of 1998's IT WOULD BE YOU). SMOKE RINGS IN THE DARK from 1999 was Gary Allan's critical and commercial breakthrough, containing a more polished production as well as a distinct sound that was lacking on the first two releases. It also produced three hit singles.

A retro feel permeates throughout SMOKE RINGS IN THE DARK. The highly atmospheric title track and its sparse companion piece "Lovin' You Against My Will" musically remind one of Allan's fellow Californian Chris Isaak (Allan's vocals recall Tim McGraw, albeit more raspy and tuneful). The zoot suitin' boogie of "Cowboy Blues" and "Sorry" seemingly pay homage to alt-twangers kd.lang and Lyle Lovett as much as 80s rockers the Stray Cats. Allan's use of weepy guitars throughout this album is particularly effective on his cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway," an update that improves on the original while remaining faithful to its arrangement.

The declarative "Right Where I Need To Be" reached the country top 5 and was Allan's biggest hit on the cd. Its meld of traditional country with beefed up production values is more typical of what is found on Allan's 1991 follow-up, ALRIGHT GUY, which was even more commercially successful than SMOKE RINGS IN THE DARK (if not quite as musically diverse and sensual/moody).

Don't Miss Him If You Like Country Music
I bought this cd after hearing the title track and was really surprised at how good it was. Gary Allan has a great voice and should be enjoying a surge in popularity just as soon as the rest of the country fans catch on to this Californian. His other three cd's are also good though this one is an all time favorite. The title track is excellent, as is the remake of Del Shannon's Runaway, the haunting Loving You Against My Will, the harder edged Right Where I Need To Be and quite honestly there is not a bad song on the entire disk. We saw him live recently (summer 2003) and his show sounded just like the recordings which really impressed the hubby ( a classic rock fan ) who now steals my Gary Allan cd's for his car. If you like real country music give him a listen. You won't be disappointed.
After two close-but-no-cigar efforts for the now-defunct Decca label, Smoke Rings in the Dark marks Gary Allan's emergence as a major talent. The album was coproduced by MCA Nashville honchos Tony Brown and Mark Wright, who between them have been responsible for dozens of No. 1 country hits in the '90s. Thanks to shrewd song selections, Allan's sound bridges the gap between the contemporary Nashville mainstream and West Coast alt-country with style and integrity. With its haunting Roy Orbison-style refrain, the title track is among the most immediately memorable singles to penetrate country playlists in 1999. The ballads "Bourbon Borderline" and "Greenfields" recall labelmate Mark Chesnutt, whose traditionalist leanings Allan clearly shares. At the same time, he's not averse to slinking and strutting through the zoot-suit swinger "Sorry" and howling a faithful cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway." Smoke Rings should make Allan a bona fide star; it's already established him as a bona fide artist. --Rick Mitchell