"Outside The Lines is Gary Cain's 3rd album, showcasing eclectic musical influences, stunning guitar virtuosity, and artful songwriting. Recorded and mixed in Austin Texas, the album intertwines Cain's blues roots with rock, funk, and in the case of the restrained and personal "Resting On My Mind", gospel and R&B. "It's a snapshot of where I'm at as an artist and a person - an effort to find a new way forward and stay true to myself amid a lot of uncertainty and great personal loss."

The death of Cain's father in 2023 was devastating and sobering, catalyzing a new urgency in both life and art. It also reinforced a determination to forge ahead, evident in the tracks "Ain't Giving Up", and "Keep On Walking", a pounding Hendrixian epic. Cain's headlong forays outside the tried-and-true may twist the ear of blues traditionalists, but the guitar-slinger clearly sees them as a feature, not a bug, singing "You keep drawing the lines I'm gonna color outside" in the pointed "Blues Enough".

While the album in many places showcases a more restrained melodicism and introspection, the razor-sharp lyrics and kaleidoscopic guitar fireworks make for an exhilarating listen that more than earns the album's title.
- Hayes Kingsley

Related artists: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Albert Collins, Scott Henderson, Eric Gales, Eric Johnson, Chris Duarte, Jimi Hendrix, Philip Sayce, Danny Gatton, Muse, Richie Kotzen, Wayne Krantz.