Big Dreams & High Hopes

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Jack Ingram became an "overnight success" in 2005 with his number one charting country single "Wherever You Are," after toiling for a decade in Nashville's fields. Interestingly, he scored that hit with well-heeled indie Big Machine. In 2008 he was named Male Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Awards. That's compelling, especially in light of the way Big Dreams & High Hopes sounds. For a long time, Ingram was a poet, albeit one that Nashville bigwigs didn't want to hear from. He writes about the tough spot he felt himself in on this set's final track, "In the Corner." He castigates himself, the label that let him go, and friends and fans who tried to pigeonhole ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Jack Ingram became an "overnight success" in 2005 with his number one charting country single "Wherever You Are," after toiling for a decade in Nashville's fields. Interestingly, he scored that hit with well-heeled indie Big Machine. In 2008 he was named Male Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Awards. That's compelling, especially in light of the way Big Dreams & High Hopes sounds. For a long time, Ingram was a poet, albeit one that Nashville bigwigs didn't want to hear from. He writes about the tough spot he felt himself in on this set's final track, "In the Corner." He castigates himself, the label that let him go, and friends and fans who tried to pigeonhole him as an "ARTIST." No more. Now, it's true that these songs -- at least the half or so he wrote on this set -- don't much resemble that angry young man who's had a poet's touch and a steely critical eye. They do, however, reflect the sound of a songwriter who knows what it takes to be successful. No more, no less. Big Dreams & High Hopes is the sound of contemporary country music and all of its tropes: the big '70s rock production, the sheen, the compressed guitars and over-amped drums, the perfectly punched vocals, the hooky pop choruses and sound effects that feel like they come from the disco era without the rhythm tracks. That doesn't make it a bad record. Fans of contemporary country music showed their delight from the jump: the massive response that greeted summertime anthem "Barefoot and Crazy," the album's first single, is evidence enough. As for the rest, Ingram wrote or co-wrote the album's best songs. There's the beautiful ballad "Seeing Stars," a duet with Patty Griffin; "Not Giving Up on Me," a midtempo power ballad about wreckage and redemption; and "Barbie Doll" (co-written with Todd Snider), a solid swaggering street rocker that features Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town. The title track is written in Ingram's older style (despite the presence of Nash Vegas production) -- it's got the elegant simplicity, the simple tune, and the keen insight that brought most of his original fans to his door. And then there's "In the Corner." Big Dreams & High Hopes is the sound of capitulation to Nashville's almighty success mandate. It's the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy at work. Ingram is a distinctive vocalist and -- when he wants to be -- just as singular a songwriter, but it seems he's content to follow in the footsteps of that other great pop country songwriter and guitar picker, Keith Urban. There's nothing wrong with that. Contemporary country fans will eat this up, fill concert halls, and blast it at parties and out of their cars and trucks. Ingram has said in an interview that, though he loves music, "To me it's a job, I go to work and come home like any job." That's what Big Dreams & High Hopes sounds like, too: the work of a fine craftsman who gets all the details right, without a flaw. That said, Ingram's latest doesn't fit the definition of a work by an artist, because this set isn't original in any way. It seems that he can not only live with this compromise, but he freely chose it, and celebrates it here. Good for him.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 8/25/2009
  • Label: Big Machine Records
  • UPC: 843930002016
  • Catalog Number: 300
  • Sales rank: 33,818

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Free (3:06)
  2. 2 Barefoot and Crazy (3:31)
  3. 3 That's a Man (3:57)
  4. 4 Seeing Stars (3:54)
  5. 5 Not Giving Up on Me (4:01)
  6. 6 Barbie Doll - The Little Big Lost Beat Up Ford Funky Times Freed (3:56)
  7. 7 Big Dreams & High Hopes (3:52)
  8. 8 Heartache (4:27)
  9. 9 Man in Your Life (3:35)
  10. 10 King of Wasted Time (3:39)
  11. 11 In the Corner (4:54)
  12. 12 That's a Man
  13. 13 Barefoot and Crazy
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Jack Ingram Primary Artist, Acoustic Guitar
Steve Brewster Percussion, Drums
Todd Cooper Background Vocals
Chad Cromwell Drums
Larry Franklin Fiddle
Patty Griffin Vocals, Guest Appearance
Byron House Bass
Jay Joyce Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Craig Krampf Percussion
Doug Lancio Acoustic Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Doug Kahan Bass
Russell Terrell Background Vocals
Michael Rojas Organ, Keyboards
Matthew Ryan Bass
Chris Tompkins Keyboards
Troy Lancaster Electric Guitar
Lee Hendricks Bass
Georgia Middleman Background Vocals
Ian Fitchuk Keyboards
Dierks Bentley Vocals, Guest Appearance
Adam Shoenfeld Electric Guitar
Eric Borash Electric Guitar
Jedd Hughes Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Electric Guitar, Background Vocals
Steven Sheehan Acoustic Guitar
Shawn Ficter Drums
Dan Dubmore Steel Guitar
Mike Johnson Steel Guitar
Technical Credits
Radney Foster Composer, Producer
Gary Burr Composer
Todd Snider Composer
Darrell Brown Composer
Jack Ingram Composer, Producer
Jay Joyce Producer, Engineer
Doug Lancio Programming, Producer, Engineer
Joe Martino Engineer
Chris Rowe Engineer
Trent Summar Composer
Rhett Akins Composer
Tom Hambridge Composer
Tom Shapiro Composer
Jeffrey Steele Composer
Kevin Szymanski Engineer
Chris Tompkins Composer
Jim Collins Composer
A.J. Derrick Engineer
Jay Knowles Composer
Steven Dale Jones Composer
Jason Hall Engineer
Scott Kidd Engineer
Adam Odor Engineer
Ron Roark Graphic Design
Jason Kyle Engineer
Todd Cassetty Enhanced CD Design
Scott Borchetta Executive Producer
Ed Hill Composer
Justin Tocket Engineer
Whitney Sutton Copy Coordination
Brian Lazzaro Video Director
Jeremy Stover Producer
Stephen Shepherd Video Director
Hank Williams Mastering
Ben Hayslip Composer
Dallas Davidson Composer
Tony Martin Composer
Mark D. Sanders Composer
Allison Jones Copy Coordination
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Customer Reviews

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 28, 2009

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