Jack Ingram writes and records music that talks about real life and offers moments of insight, comfort and fun outside of everyday existence. His provocative, but truthfully universal, songs are evidence of a deep respect for country music. "(Country music) talks about things that make you think," says Jack. "That's what it's about when I'm listening to music. I write songs to figure out why I feel the way that I do, and why things are going the way they are." Then, with his rock and roll style delivery, Jack Ingram performs these songs - both in the studio and on the stage - to their truest, fullest, and most raucous.
On the aptly and evocatively titled Electric, Jack Ingram's second album for Sony's Lucky Dog Records, Ingram firmly nails down the final elements of his cutting-edge slacker-country style. True to the title, it's a work of crackling musical intensity and powerful emotions, even in its quieter moments. After recording the disc, Jack combed the song titles and lyrics in search of a name for the album, when the notion of simply calling it Electric came to mind. It immediately encapsulated the spirit of the record. As Jack Ingram explains, "When that title came to mind, I thought, 'now that's what this record feels like to me.' The guitars are really prevalent, and it just jumps out at you. It has all the things that spell out electric for me; it's passionate, intense, surprising, powerful - it's electric."
By now Jack Ingram's rise to national prominence is almost the stuff of legend. Before Ingram's Dallas college days, he grew up in Houston, Texas, and was raised on a musical diet of such Texas legends as Lefty Frizzell , Jerry Jeff Walker and Townes Van Zandt , as well as country giants like Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. Equally influenced by and raised on rock luminaries like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, Jack¹s repertoire was well-rounded from a young age.
Jack Ingram's creative leap from his honky-tonk roots to an expansive and eloquent modern country style. The Washington Post called it "rough-house charm that's hard to resist," while BarnesandNoble.com touted him as "a major voice in development." Billboard dubbed him "the ultimate anti-hat act" and the West Columbia, South Carolina Free Times declared Ingram as "the kind of artist that country radio needs." Being what the Dallas Morning News described as "a fearless performer," Jack rarely takes a break, playing some 200 dates a year in a multitude of venues - from rock clubs to country bars to fairs to movies (he appeared in the movies Hope Floats and Abilene).
In all of these venues, Jack Ingram consistently puts on an energetic and exciting show. Jack comments, "For me, the best part about a good live show is emotions that are conveyed in the songs. When people gather together to have a party, of course they're going to have fun, but when people gather together on a much more emotional level, now that is what creates something lasting. I hope my songs are the conduit for that kind of experience."
When Jack Ingram finally allowed himself a break in his touring schedule, Jack began to work on his follow up to Hey You. He booked Ocean Way Recording Studios in Nashville and gathered together a mix of some of the best Nashville and Texas musicians. Electric features guest vocalists like Patty Griffin and Lee Ann Womack, and unites Ingram's roots music grounding with a potent contemporary sound. On "Won't Go With Her," he's backed by Mark Knopfler's road band - "One of the best bands in the world," Ingram enthuses - as well as alternative country hero and master songwriter Buddy Miller on harmony vocals and guitarist and producer Jay Joyce on guitar.
As an artist, Jack Ingram ultimately prefers to look to the future rather than rest on the laurels of his numerous accomplishments, and Electric is the album where Ingram's artistic vision truly comes into its own. "To me, making a record and writing songs is all about what's next, figuring out what's going to be even better than what I've done before," he explains. "Watch where I'm going. That's what's important," he insists. Because with every record Ingram makes, he strives to outdo what he's done before and continue to fine-tune the sound that¹s all his own. "I look at it as that whole thing about being afraid to not make the grade. That's part of being a genuine artist." Or in other words, "Reach for the stars and you land on the roof. Reach for the roof and you're still on the sidewalk." And with Electric, Jack Ingram makes music that lights the sky.