Freight Train, Alan Jackson’s 16th album, has none of the momentum of a locomotive but all of the reassuring sturdiness of a hulking piece of steel: this is music built for distance, not speed.
Appropriately, not much on Freight Train moves all that fast -- there is a bit of a skipping gait to the title track -- and nothing hits that hard; it all rolls along comfortably, never pushing at the edges of Jackson’s comfort zone.
More than ever, the singer sounds like part of the old guard, willfully ignoring anything modern or rocking, preferring to sing swaying ballads and pay tribute to Vern Gosdin via a cover of “Till the End.” As relaxed as this is, Jackson isn’t necessarily coasting -- he wrote the lion's share of the 12 songs here, choosing his four covers wisely -- but his touch is so relaxed it sometimes it feels as if he is.
Certainly, there’s a fair share of charm to Jackson’s cozy confidence, but Freight Train doesn’t offer a sustained romantic mood along the lines of 2006’s understated gem Like Red on a Rose.
Instead, it’s the sound of a major star gently easing away from the spotlight, deciding that he’s so comfortable in his old clothes that there’s no reason to try something new.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hard Hat and a HammerAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | Every Now and ThenAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 3 | After 17Alan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | It's Just That WayVicky McGehee, Kylie Sackley, Keith Stegall | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | Freight TrainFred Eaglesmith | Alan Jackson | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 6 | Taillights BlueJay Knowles, Adam Wright | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | I Could Get Used to This Lovin' ThingAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | That's Where I BelongAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 9 | Big Green EyesAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | True Love Is a Golden RingAlan Jackson, Roger Murrah | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | The Best Keeps Getting BetterAlan Jackson | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | Till The End (with Lee Ann Womack) | Alan Jackson | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 43 mins | 99 MB | |||||
| 43 mins | 263 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tracy Baskette-Fleaner | Art Direction, Design |
| 2 | Eddie Bayers | Drums |
| 3 | Jimmy Carter | Bass |
| 4 | Stuart Duncan | Fiddle, Mandolin |
| 5 | Fred Eaglesmith | Composer |
| 6 | Judy Forde-Blair | Creative Producer, Liner Notes |
| 7 | Paul Franklin | Guitar (Steel) |
| 8 | Craig Fruin | Management |
| 9 | Cathy Gosdin | Composer |
| 10 | Russ Harrington | Photography |
| 11 | Greenwood Hart | Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 12 | Alan Jackson | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 13 | Howard Kaufman | Management |
| 14 | John Kelton | Engineer, Mixing |
| 15 | Jay Knowles | Composer |
| 16 | Andy Leftwich | Fiddle |
| 17 | Kyle Lehning | Engineer |
| 18 | Brent Mason | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 19 | Scott McDaniel | Creative Director |
| 20 | Vicky McGehee | Composer |
| 21 | Timothy Monnig | Photography |
| 22 | Roger Murrah | Composer |
| 23 | Gary Prim | Hammond B3, Piano, Wurlitzer |
| 24 | Hargus "Pig" Robbins | Piano, Wurlitzer |
| 25 | Matt Rovey | Assistant, Engineer |
| 26 | Kylie Sackley | Composer |
| 27 | Mellissa Schleicher | Stylist |
| 28 | Steve Short | Assistant |
| 29 | Keith Stegall | Composer |
| 30 | Trish Townsend | Grooming |
| 31 | Rhonda Vincent | Vocals (Background) |
| 32 | Ryles Vincent | Vocals (Background) |
| 33 | Bruce Watkins | Banjo, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 34 | John Wesley | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Hank Williams | Mastering |
| 36 | Lee Ann Womack | Featured Artist |
| 37 | Glenn Worf | Bass |
| 38 | Adam Wright | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |