Live - Wherever You Are (Big Machine, 2006)

Jack Ingram is one of a group of modern-day ultra-cool country artists who are adored in Texas and virtually unknown in the rest of the country. Ingram distinguishes himself with fantastic songs and a stage energy that's palpable on this live recording.

The album's title track is one of two new songs here, Ingram's first since 2002. It's an incredibly catchy song laden with nature imagery illustrating a man's simple appeal to a woman he still loves. "Biloxi" is fantastic - it starts out sounding like a romantic piano ballad, and then Ingram yells out the jarring opening line, "Where in the hell did you go," in this bitter, poignant song about his father's departure. "How Many Days" is an Ingram favorite about life on the road, and "Work This Out" is a midtempo rocker about holding a relationship together. These are two of three songs here co-written by the great Jim Lauderdale.

Jack Ingram is a local star who's long been overdue for broader recognition, and this album, with its mix of his infectious stage shows why.