Jack Ingram

Big Dreams & High Hopes (Big Machine)

Jack Ingram had a lot of help recording Big Dreams & High Hopes, his third for Nashville’s Big Machine. Patty Griffin, Radney Foster, Dierks Bentley, Todd Snider, and Little Big Town populate the credits. Four producers besides Ingram are listed. And still he’s come up with another generic disc of heartland rock that some call country. There’s craftsmanship in the songwriting, “Seeing Stars” with Griffin on vocals sure to tug at some hearts, and the two songs produced by Foster, “Heartache” and “Man in Your Life,” possess his inimitable stamp of big hooks and even bigger Texas guitars. The re-recording of the almost offensive “Barbie Doll” is a mystery. As a whole, Ingram continues to possess a voice and vision that’s indistinguishable from others working the same dusty field.

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This article appears in September 18 • 2009.

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