Set You Free is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Gary Allan. It was released on January 22, 2013, by MCA Nashville., and is Allan's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart, debuting in the top spot on February 9, 2013. It is also Allan's second number-one album on the Top Country Albums chart, following 2005's Tough All Over. The album produced three singles: "Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)", "Pieces", and "It Ain't the Whiskey".
Background
Gary Allan talked to The Boot writer Vernell Hackett, and Allan commented on the time during making of this album was one of transition for his label. In addition, Allan noted how he worked with producers in a competitive effort to make this album better.
Title
Gary Allan talked to The Boot writer Vernell Hackett, and Allan mentioned the title came from the lead single from the album because it is what the effort as a whole is all about.
Theme
Gary Allan talked to The Boot writer Vernell Hackett, and Allan stated the album's songs are set to the arc of a relationship.
Commercial performance
On February 9, 2013, Set You Free was the most sold album in the United States by the Billboard 200 chart, as well as the most sold Country Album the same week on the charts. In addition, the album was the second most sold Digital Album, which it was the No. 13 most sold album in Canada, and this was all for this same week on the charts. As of March 6, 2013, the album has sold 219,000 copies.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Set You Free received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
The album has garnered many positive reviews. Those came in from About.com, AllMusic, American Songwriter, The Boston Globe, Country Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Got Country Online, The Plain Dealer, PopMatters, Rolling Stone, Roughstock, Taste of Country, and the USA Today. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a three-and-a-half-out-of-five-star rating, saying that the album is "one where all of his past is present in his assured professionalism." Likewise, American Songwriter music critic Alanna Conaway rated it the same, and wrote that "Set You Free will give his long-time followers more than they could have hoped for, while garnering new fans coast-to-coast." In addition, Stuart Munro of The Boston Globe also rated it the same, which is based on Metacritic's assigned score, and stated that "[Allan] may offer less of an alternative than he once did, but that old-school concern and a wider sonic palette keep Allan just this side of the mainstream." Similarly, Rolling Stone music critic Chuck Eddy gave it the same rating as well, and evoked how "the 45-year-old singer lets the crazy out" on the album. Furthermore, Dan MacIntosh of Roughstock even gave it the same exact rating and wrote that "Many of these song lyrics are intensely self-directed" that are meant for "that tragic guy at the end of the bar" and proclaimed how the album is "fun, but all over before you know it. Then you’re back to crying away your blues." Lastly, About.com music critic Robert Silva rated it the same himself, and noted how "Set You Free can use these jolts of energy, but Allan still seems at his best -- and definitely in his comfort zone -- when he's maudlin, morose, and three sheets to the wind."
The Plain Dealer'''s Chuck Yarborough graded the album a perfect A+ grade, and alluded to how "'Set You Free' boasts of the typical Allan sound – a sort of lonesome dove lament in his voice – but there’s also an in-your-face stab at belligerence called 'Bones' that runs contrary to form." Bob Paxman of Country Weekly gave the album an A grade and affirmed that "Set You Free doesn't sound like every other album coming out of the Nashville factory these days—and that's definitely a good thing." Paxman went on to describe how "[t]he album flows freely, again as the title might suggest, and the divergent styles truly complement one another." On the other hand, Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly graded the album a B+ grade, and alluded to "how Gary Allan is beginning to let a small amount of sunshine in."