Christone “Kingfish” Ingram — “Live in London” — Alligator Records
As if it’s not enough to create a magnificent album of live blues, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram doubles your pleasure here with, what else, a double album overflowing with passionate music from this exciting young guitar slinger.
It’s just been four years since the young Kingfish (he’s now 24) exploded on the blues scene from his hometown of Clarksdale, Miss., with his 2019 debut album, “Kingfish,” and then his second 2021 effort, “662.” That album won the GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, won the Blues Music Award for Best Blues Album, and topped both the DownBeat Critics’ Poll and the Living Blues Critics’ Poll. Since his debut, Kingfish has been nominated for and won 10 Blues Music Awards. He’s also won 11 Living Blues Awards.
Since then, he’s been appearing at concerts and festivals worldwide. I saw him on one of his blues cruise appearances (that’s the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, a floating festival not to be missed), and he’s even more impressive in person. This live session, recorded for an SRO crowd at The Garage in London, gets you as close as possible to that exhilarating experience where artist and crowd join in a musical celebration.
On one hand, there’s a lot of great music on these 17 tracks that I could describe. On the other hand (that other hand can be so annoying!), it’s very easy to reduce my workload and say that they are uniformly full of dazzling guitar, sharp lyrics, and the enthusiasm of a live concert. So here’s a sample.
The session begins what has become a signature tune, “She Calls Me Kingfish.” It opens with a haunting keyboard overture, then turns into a fiery guitar exercise that suddenly eases into a slow-burning interlude before resuming its wicked pace.
The Kingfish uses this concert format to show off his considerable guitar wizardry, with lengthy tracks that give him the freedom to showcase several styles within one extended song, just like “She Calls Me Kingfish.” With the crisp support of his road band — keyboardist Deshawn Alexander, bassist Paul Rogers, and drummer Christopher Black — Kingfish can offer a concert within a concert. It’s a powerhouse of a live set.
There are a multitude of guitar highlights, and one of the finest comes about a third of the way in — the slow-burning fire of Kingfish’s newly written instrumental, “Mississippi Night,” ten minutes of scorching blues that leaves no note unburned.
There are two masterful acoustic tracks that dip into the deep blues of “Been Here Before” and the autobiographical “Something in the Dirt” about growing up in Clarksdale. The emphasis on vocals, here and throughout, demonstrate further maturity from this young bluesman.
Pacing is everything in a concert, and not every song is designed to light your fire. “You’re Already Gone” is a remorseful ballad with a tasty B3 solo and a dramatic pause midway, that eventually fades gently into the night. “Outside of This Town” is another long-play tough burner with guitar solos filled with electricity.
The closer is “Long Distance Woman,” an astonishing 12-minute, two-part concerto that gives the first part to an elegant piano solo from Alexander that morphs into a funky B3 ride that gives way in the second part to furious Kingfish guitar and sharp lyrics. (Spoiler alert: The first part is not included on the LP version of the release.)
That’s just a sample of the fine music here. It’s all equally worth your while, and as close to a concert experience as you’re likely to get until you see Kingfish in person. You should do both as soon as you can.
Kingfish has been called the future of the blues, probably because he’s just getting under way, and expected to keep up the good work. But the good news is that the future is now, as this impressive performance demonstrates, so you don’t have to wait.
Even more good news: The blues is here to stay.
Here’s a short version of “Long Distance Woman”:
RACK LIST
DISC 1
1. She Calls Me Kingfish
2. Fresh Out
3. Another Life Goes By
4. Empty Promises
5. Hard Times
6. Mississippi Night (Instrumental)
7. Been Here Before
8. Something In The Dirt
DISC 2
1. You’re Already Gone
2. Listen
3. Rock & Roll
4. Not Gonna Lie
5. Midnight Heat
6. Outside Of This Town
7. 662
8. Long Distance Woman (not included on LP)
9. Long Distance Woman
Blues Roadhouse 