BEN GALLAHER - Kinda Can't Say No - Stone Country Records

One of the more promising and talented singer-songwriter-musicians on the rising country music landscape, Ben Gallaher has released his first new tune of the year.  “Kinda Can’t Say No” is available now, both digitally and on all streaming platforms, via Stone Country Records.

Plain and simple, this is a song about an irresistible woman, from who, against his better judgement, the narrator just can’t stay away.  It’s a relatable track for many, and Ben felt is as it was coming together in the songwriting room and in the studio.

“All the guys out there know you “Kinda Can’t Say No” to a girl and that’s what this song is about,” Gallaher said.

Written by Neil Thrasher, Lee Thomas Miller, and Wendell Mobley, the mid-tempo track delivers quick, clever lyrics that explore the pros and cons of romantic attachment but ultimately accepts what he can’t resist.

“Kinda thinking it’s a bad idea

Kinda thinking damn you look good

Kinda thinking baby we both know we should leave it alone

Kinda thinking last time was a mess

Kinda thinking I love that dress

Kinda wanna let you go

And I kinda can’t say no”

The small-town Pennsylvania native’s vocals are mysteriously magnificent on this track, emoting a smoky, hauntingly ominous vibe as he croons his way through the internal-conflicted lyrics.  His brand of lyric-driven country music is on full display here, captivating the listener with the relatable, story-telling nomenclature from start to finish.

While the song is launched into the music stratosphere by Ben’s trademark lead guitar presence, the riff didn’t come easily to the accomplished musician, taking him some extra time in the studio to find his muse.

“When I went in the studio to record the song, I had no idea what the intro riff was going to be,” Ben said.  “I’d spent the whole day trying to write it and it jus wasn’t coming to me, so I had to put the guitar down, just go into the studio, and kind of feel it wherever I was at.  My producer said, ‘Man, you’re overthinking it; just put a little John Mayer influence on it,’ so that’s what I did.”

Serving as his first release of 2025, “Kinda Can’t Say No” is a preview of his upcoming EP, ‘Bullet’, due out everywhere on May 9^th.  Gallaher first went viral on social media with his guitar riff “Stomp”, earning him more than 36 million social views, over 10K fan-created videos and more than 400K social media followers to date, with nearly a quarter of a million followers on Instagram alone.

After “Stomp”, his most recent song release was “Still a Few Cowboys Left (Campfire),” a new acoustic version of a fan-favorite track whose original version has surpassed six million streams. Other recent music includes a must-hear cover of the Bryan Adams classic “Cuts Like a Knife,” featuring Gallaher on guitar.

With a creative new tune out to the masses and a forthcoming EP on the horizon in a couple of months, Gallaher looks poised to take his career to the next level in 2025.

(Review Written By: Chad Carlson)