Christone “Kingfish” Ingram: Live in London Review

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram  released Kingfish, his debut album in 201,9 at the age of 19 after growing up in Clarksdale, Mississippi. His Grammy Award winning sophomore release 662, which is the area code for the North Mississippi Delta was released in 2021. Live in London contains 17 cuts and is available as a digital download and will be available on both CD and as an LP on October 13. Ingram wrote or co-wrote 12 of the songs with Tom Hambridge who produced his first two albums and Tom Fleming.

The first 2 songs on Disc One were written by Hambridge & Fleming. “She Calls Me Kingfish” appeared on 662 and opens with a light ethereal sound before moving into a sonic guitar run accompanied by Christopher Black’s driving drums and Paul Rogers’ thumping bass. Keyboardist Deshawn “D-Vibes” Alexander produces light Hammond B3 flourishes as Ingram alternates between vocalizing with his voice and guitar. “Fresh Out” opens with a jazzy sounding intro with Ingram diving into his guitar and taking it straight into a searing emotional excursion.

“Another Life Goes By” was co-written by Hambridge & Ingram and appeared on 662. It opens with tinkling keyboard flourishes accompanied by a subdued wah wah guitar supporting Christone’s emotive vocals. “Empty Promises” is a cover of the late great blues rocker Michael “Iron Man” Burks and allows Ingram further opportunity to stretch his vocals paralleling with his guitar. Hambridge and Fleming co-wrote “Hard Times” for Kingfish and it has a hard driving beat that follows a rhythmic path with Kingfish spitting out the lyrics. His wailing guitar follows and interweaves with the band as keyboards alternate with guitar until the song concludes with an ear-splitting guitar solo.

“If it wasn’t for my woman

I believe I’d lose my mind”

“Mississippi Night” was written by Ingram and is the longest cut on the 2 CD set. It’s a 10 minute instrumental that gives Kingfish free reign to test the boundaries of his 6 string. “Been Here Before” was co-written by Hambridge and Ingram and appeared on the initial release. It’s a swampy sounding number using an acoustic guitar and Christone’s voice. “Something in the Dirt” was co-written by Fleming, Hambridge and Ingram and appeared on the second album. It’s the shortest song on the album clocking in at only 2:49.

Disc Two begins with two Hambridge and Ingram compositions, first from 662 titled “You’re Already Gone.” The sound is reminiscent of George Benson with a light jazzy sound and crooning vocals along with Alexander’s soothing organ. The 2^nd song is “Listen” from Kingfish and it opens with handclaps followed by driving drums and a soulful voice singing about a “brand new day” ala gospel style. “Rock & Roll” appeared on 662 and was originally written by two Nashville songwriters Sean McConnell and Ashley Ray but Ingram added a 3^rd verse and personalized the first two as a tribute to his late mother Princess Pride.

“She made a deal with the angels and they’ll never let go

So I could sell my soul to Rock and Roll”

“Not Gonna Lie” also appeared on the second album and was co-written by Fleming, Hambridge and Ingram. It’s a jazzy number with wah wah guitar intro that has Kingfish belting out vocals and squeezing out guitar runs. “Midnight Heat” is a Fleming and Hambridge composition and is a wild straight out of the box rocker that is heavy on the organ. Kingfish’s vocals lead and blend into a screaming guitar accompanying a throbbing drumbeat. Hambridge and Ingram wrote “Outside of This Town” for the first album. It opens with a wailing guitar followed by Deshawn Alexander’s Hammond B3 and a dominant rhythm section. Kingfish pulls out all the stops as he rips his axe into oblivion.

“I’m leaving this town tomorrow

I got many places to see”

“662” is the title song from the second album that Hambridge and Ingram composed together. It’s another rocker with Christone kicking it out vocally before segueing into a sonic excursion on his wailing guitar. “Long Distance Woman” was co-written by Hambridge and Ingram and appeared on 662. The intro was composed by Ingram with Black, Rogers and Alexander and opens with Deshawn’s melodic fingers dancing on the piano keys and eventually blending into the Hammond B3 with the band following suit. The song itself then opens with rip roaring guitar licks followed by Kingfish vocalizing before he begins a driving syncopated rhythm that hypnotically concludes the album.

Live in London covers all the bases and is an excellent introduction to one of the most talented young blues rockers of the 21^st century. The album contains live performances of the best of Kingfish’s two previous releases as well as a sample of what to expect in the future with three new songs.

The Review 9/10

– Fresh Out
– Empty Promises
– Mississippi Night
– Rock & Roll
– Long Distance Woman

The Big Hit

– Mississippi Night

Buy the album: Amazon