Christone Kingfish Ingram – Live In London
www.christonekingfishingram.com
2 CDs/8 and 9 tracks respectively
At this point, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram needs no introduction. He burst on to the blues scene with his first, self-titled release in 2019. The album opened at #1 on the Billboard Charts and a new legend was upon us. Ibn these past four years his talent and aura have become almost legendary. He is touted as one of the saviors of the blues and, given his proess on guitar, singing and songwriting, the description is well deserved. Recorded in one evening at the famed UK club The Garage, the 17 songs featured on these two CDs showcase his two albums and new songs that will delight listeners.
The backing players here are Paul Rogers on bass, Christopher Black on drums, and Deshawn Alexander on keys. Alexander does some standout work, using two hands to supply piano and organ and flesh out a huge sound that supplements the guitar and vocals of this young phenomenon.
“She Calls Me Kingfish” from his 662 album kicks off the live set. He opens with a slick 2-1/2 minute plus guitar and instrumental showcasing his and the band’s prowess. Next is “Fresh Out,” from his self-titled 2019 album. It’s a rousing and rocking straight up cut with great guitar and some soulful organ. Also from 662 is “Another Life Goes By,” a ballad about profiling and oppression. Slow blues is up next with stinging guitar and soulful vocals in “Empty Promises.”
“Hard Times” is also from hus first album in 2019, a funked up cut that moves along in a cool manner. “Mississippi Night” is the next song, another deep and soulful slow, instrumental blues. There is some thoughtful and excellent guitar picking here. Also cut from his first album is “Been Here Before.” This one has a front porch, down-home feeling to it as Kingfish goes solo and unaccompanied. It’s another fine piece of work. The first CD concludes with “Something In The Dirt” and it is another 662 cut, a fun bio-song about his roots in Clarksdale. Another solo effort, Kingfish sings and plays with passion.
The second disc opens with “You’re Already Gone” from 662. The band returns to accompany Christone. This one is another pretty ballad with slick keys and acoustic electric guitar. Then it’s “Listen” from Kingfish; Ingram takes this thoughtful, midtempo cut and gives a rousing rendition. More solid organ support and, of course, super vocals and guitar. The 662 bonus track “Rock & Roll” and “Not Gonna Lie” are next. The former is prety, cool ballad with thoughtful piano accompaniment, while the latter is a big, funky anthem piece.. Stinging guitar and outstanding keys once again are featured here and even more on the next track, “Midnight Heat.” Heavy, cool stuff.
The opening track from his first CD “Outside of this Town” is next. Big, beefy guitar licks and more passionate vocals are again servedup to the listener’s delight. Following that is “662,” the title track of his second album. This one is uptempo and rollicking fun with some honky-tonk piano, organ and Kingfish’s vibrant guitar. The “Encore Intro” starts thoughtfully and peacefully with a piano intro. The organ come in after about 1:45 to accompany the piano, then some psychedelic guitar is added around 3:45 and then the three of them run to a big and boisterous instrumental finish that leads in to the conclusion of the album with “Long Distance Woman,” a cut from his second album. His guitar hits the stratosphere as he plays to the mix and then offers a stellar outro.
This is not an album for the faint of heart. Most of the songs are lengthy and big numbers, mostly ranging from over 4 to just over 10 minutes apiece. Lots of heavy guitar; not one bit of shredding here– the notes have air and space between them. The solos do go on to satisfy event he most ardent guitar lover. This one is a hit and will certainly garner consideration for acclaim and awards in the coming year.
