CMT Blog: Archive

Jack Ingram's latest song, "Free," is one of those songs that I knew I'd love about four seconds in. Because I feel like he really means what he's singing from the very first line. While a press release calls it "a breezy and uplifting embrace of the finer non-material things in life," I feel like it's so much bigger than that.

Yes, it's a litany song. And those get bad-mouthed sometimes because maybe lyrically they're too easy to write. Lists of what makes rural life good, lists of what makes you Southern, lists of things that make a girl hot. But this one stands out because the list -- of things that you love but pay nothing for -- is one everyone can relate to. Not just because we are in a recession and we're all trying to stretch that dollar even farther, but because what's not to like about fish in the lake, a cane pole you make, the sound of a train, hard-pourin' rain, that penny on the ground and the fortune he found when she wrapped her arms around him. Like he sings, "Free things I wouldn't trade for anything are everything to me." The fast guitars make it sound like a Keith Urban song, which is a good thing.

Ingram admits that the words of the song are timely. "The lyrical content is obviously what's on everybody's minds these days ... what's important is all the stuff you don't have to pay for ... they're the sights and sounds that make you forget all your problems," he said. "And musically, it just feels like a good day comin' on ... it makes you want to go outside and take a big ol' breath of fresh air."

He also promises that his upcoming tour will have a set that will look like a dingy motel room, where he claims he's written so many songs. I'm sure he can afford nicer hotel rooms now, but I'm sure he wouldn't trade those nights of inspired songwriting for anything.