The Poet Gets Loose: Chris Bullinger Finds His Funk on “Jackson”

Every folk singer worth their guitar eventually stumbles into New Orleans. The city’s gravity is irresistible. But few make it out with their soul intact—either they lose themselves in imitation, or the weight of history crushes their sound.

Chris Bullinger, somehow, does neither. With his new single “I’ll Be Goin’ from Jackson,” the Midwestern poet-turned-troubadour dips into the Crescent City and comes back swinging. It’s a horn-laced, highway-beaten, soul-stirred slice of Americana that refuses to sit still.

Bullinger’s earlier work, especially his recent double album Waitin’ To Be Seen, felt like a map of the interior. This new material? It’s got dirt on its boots and bourbon on its breath. The production, handled at the legendary Marigny Studios, crackles with analog warmth. And the horns, those glorious, swampy horns, are pure gold.

But make no mistake: this isn’t cosplay. Bullinger doesn’t try to be New Orleans. He brings his stories to it, lets the city’s rhythms brush them with new colour, and walks out with something deeply his own. “Jackson” is a state of mind, he tells us—and in his hands, it becomes a launchpad.

There’s also something refreshingly ego-less about this turn. After five albums and a recent conceptual opus, Bullinger could have coasted. Instead, he’s chasing risk. He’s chasing feel. The song grooves, yes—but it also breathes. You can hear the room. You can hear the trust.

Nowhere To Fall, the upcoming album, promises more of this fusion: a blend of road songs and Crescent City slink, told by a man who knows exactly what he’s giving up—and what he’s heading toward. “Jackson” is not the end of the road. It’s the moment you pull off the map and keep driving.

Chris Bullinger “I’ll Be Goin’ from Jackson” Single Artwork