(Smith Music Group) Jack Ingram first built his reputation as a modern day outlaw though his live shows around the Texas music circuit, especially his with shows at Adairs. While his shows were known for being rowdy and raucous, Jack set himself apart from others in what's become known as the 'frat pack' by writing & performing songs that went deeper than 'beer,' 'getting drunk' and 'Texas.' Instead he wrote edgy but honest, accessible songs built around the lives of blue collar characters and delivered them with a rock & roll swagger that gained him a loyal following that grew larger with each show and each subsequent album. After releasing 4 independent albums (two on Rhythmic Records, starting with his self titled 1993 self titled debut, and two on Rising Tide), he caught the attention of the major labels and eventually signed with Sony's Lucky Dog. On Lucky Dog, Jack released two studio albums, 1999's Hey You and 2002's Electric, which was followed up by an EP of songs leftover from the Electric session, 2003's Extra Volts. Between the Lucky Dog studio albums, he released Unleashed in 2000, a live set with Charlie and Bruce Robison. Jack and Lucky Dog parted ways after the release of Electric (though they later agreed to release the Extra Volts EP).

Being a 'free agent' again however hasn't slowed Jack down at all. He has several new projects on the horizon with Live At Billy Bob's being the first to be released. Recorded early last year at the world famous Billy Bob's as part of the Smith Music Group's Live At Billy Bob's series, the disc features Jack and his acclaimed backing band The Beat Up Ford Band: lone original Beat Up Ford band member Pete Coatney (drums), Robert Kearns (bass, vocals) and Jens Pinckernell (guitar.) Rounding out the band on this outing is Bukka White on keyboards and Chris Masterson on guitar and mando-guitar.

Jack and the boys deliver a blistering set of 15 tracks that covers the span of his career, kicking things off in high gear with a raucous rendition of "We're All In This Together" that sets the tone of the disc and continues with edgy intensity on such Ingram favorites as his signature song "Beat Up Ford," "Flutter," "Attitude & Driving," "Ghost Of A Man," "She Don't Love You," Red, White & Blues" and the disc's lone acoustic number, a somber reading of "Run To Me." He tosses in a few covers including a stellar, high octane version of Joe Maphis' "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" and closes out the disc with a searing standout cover of Waylon's "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." 

As on Electric, gone is the fiddle and steel that was present in his earlier independent releases, in particular the more intimate Live At Adair's disc, as Jack's opted for a rougher, meatier, more muscular sound on Live At Billy Bob's. His earlier songs don't suffer in the translation, their raw honesty remains intact, and Jack with the help of the outstanding Beat Up Ford Band, packs a powerful punch with his beer soaked, roots rocking rebel yell.      

Standout Tracks:  "Beat Up Ford," "Nothing To Gain," "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," "Attitude & Driving," "A Little Bit," "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way"

On The Net:  www.jackingram.net

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack February 2004