When Jack Ingram won the 2008 Academy of Country Music award for "Best New Male Vocalist," thousands of people in the audience had to be smiling to themselves about that whole "new" thing. They knew the thirty-something, steel-eyed veteran accepting that trophy on that stage in Vegas had been rocking roadhouses, theaters and stadiums relentlessly since 1997, that he'd been celebrated by critics and fans of hard-core country music for more than a decade, and that as a Texas-born songwriter and performer, he'd been on the short list of next generation artists who could fill the boots of Lone Star legends like Willie and Waylon and the boys.

Ingram remains in the forefront of country music with the album Big Dreams & High Hopes, the seventh studio disc of his career. Its eleven tracks range through the many facets of Ingram's unique take on country music and songwriting.

In a time when the music industry tries so hard to jam new artists up to the top of the charts before they're ready, only to so often see them plummet back to earth, Ingram's rise has been slow and steady, fueled by dreams and hopes for sure, but more substantially by high standards and the ambition for a career measured in decades and influence rather than chart position. He's in the best place he's ever been and it's clear from a few listens to Big Dreams & High Hopes that confidence is bolstering his artistry.