Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Live In London Alligator Records

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram recorded the tunes for his latest release, Live in London (Alligator Records) at The Garage on June 6, 2023, before an enthusiastic, capacity crowd.

Just three months later, blues fans are rewarded with one of the best live albums in memory, an incredible 17-song set with 14 songs from his previous two albums (2019’s Kingfish and 2021’s 662, both Grammy-nominated), one cover, and two brand new songs.

Ingram is backed on these tracks by a first-rate band (Christopher Black – drums, Paul Rogers – bass, Deshawn “D-Vibes” Alexander – piano/B3/Clavinet). The song list includes five tracks from Kingfish (“Fresh Out,” “Hard Times,” “Been Here Before,” “Listen,” and “Outside of This Town”), and eight from 662 (“She Calls Me Kingfish,” “Another Life Goes By,” “Something In The Dirt,” “You’re Already Gone,” “Rock & Roll,” “Not Gonna Lie,” the title track, and “Lone Distance Woman”), but the live setting allows Ingram and the band to expand these songs and take them in different directions from the studio releases.

Ingram digs deeply into these tracks and the extended guitar solos are never overwrought or even overplayed, a perfect mix of the great guitarists that came before him, but with his own personal stamp on each solo. I can imagine the audience sat transfixed by his efforts because I certainly did time and time again. His vocals are so rich, so soulful, so heartfelt, particularly on the emotional “Another Life Goes By,” the soul/blues ballad “You’re Already Gone,” and his moving tribute to his late mother, “Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

“She Calls Me Kingfish” kicks off the set, with Ingram and the band (the interplay between his guitar work and Alexander’s keyboards is amazing at times) changing tempos a couple of times over the seven-minute song. “Fresh Out” is an excellent slow burner with more wonderful interaction between guitar and keyboards. His version of Michael Burks’ “Empty Promises” left me with goose bumps, as he recalls the late, much-missed guitarist’s powerful vocals and guitar, incorporating Burks, Ingram, and a bit of Hendrix into his playing.

The gritty “Hard Times” brings a healthy dose of funk into the mix, along with Ingram’s rock-edged fretwork and Alexander’s stellar keyboards, and the new instrumental “Mississippi Night” really allows him to open up with some jaw-dropping guitar that may leave your speakers scorched. It’s a ten-minute jam that you hate to see come to an end.

Ingram goes acoustic for the next two tracks, the autobiographical pieces “Been Here Before” (which pays tribute to his grandmother) and “Something In The Dirt” (paying tribute to his musical upbringing in his hometown, Clarksdale, Mississippi). He also has a little fun with the audience on the upbeat “Listen,” encouraging them to participate during the song.

“Not Gonna Lie,” which serves as a Kingfish mission statement of sorts, merges funk, rock, and blues together with satisfying results, and the second new song, “Midnight Heat,” is a keeper as well, a loose-limbed track combining blues and funky R&B with Ingram’s soaring guitar.

The rowdy blues rockers “Outside Of This Town” and “662” bring the set to a close and, I’m sure, the audience to their feet. The band encores with “Long Distance Woman,” introduced by a lengthy instrumental interlude driven by Alexander’s keyboards leading into the song, the remaining band members slowly joining in (I haven’t said anything about Black and Rogers rhythm work yet, but, believe me, it’s most impressive throughout).

While I loved Ingram’s two previous studio efforts, I’ve never had the opportunity to see the young man perform live, but friends who have seen him told me that he must be seen live to truly appreciate his talents, and I’m inclined to believe that based on this set. What is remarkable to me is that when I have seen him perform (on videos sent from my friends), even in his early/mid-teens his playing was different from many younger players; he was always poised and in control.

Live in London shows that at the age of 24, he is a masterful vocalist and a great bandleader as well as a phenomenal guitarist and he will only get better and better, and that’s exciting news for blues fans. Even if you’ve got his first two albums, you really need this one to see how far he’s come in just a few years.

--- Graham Clarke