Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - 662 (2021)

The second release from this blues phenom who was only 22 at the time he recorded the album. From the album's press release:

Ingram describes 662 (the number is northern Mississippi's telephone area code) as "a presentation of my life in and away from the Delta." The album overflows with hard-hitting original songs, jaw-dropping guitar work and deep, soul-possessed vocals.

Right up my alley. This Mississippi rockin' boogie blues with hooks galore is perfect for summer driving and/or just sittin' and sippin' on the porch in the South Texas heat and humidity (speaking from personal experience).

The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Kingfish and the album won five(!) awards at the 29th Annual Living Blues Awards from Living Blues magazine. Speaking of magazine awards, DownBeat magazine named it as Best Blues Album in its 70th Annual Critics Poll:

Press of the time:

• Living Blues: "each note sounds right, each string-bend and grunge-flecked wail appropriate in its place"
• Blues Blast: "No longer the 'future of the blues' - as Guitar Player magazine once called him, Kingfish’s time is NOW!"
• Blues Rock Review (9 out 10): "Ingram shows that he has only sharpened his ability to cut, soar, and amaze with nothing more than a couple of choice guitar licks, or a flurry of emotive runs."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Blues: #1

Tracks: Unlike many blues albums, there's enough variety here to make this a top-to-bottom listen. If pressed to pick favorites, today I'll go with 662, Another Life Goes By, Not Gonna Lie, I Got To See You, and the autobiographical Something In The Dirt.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I picked up my copy of this CD in an autographed digisleeve at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi in October 2025 when my wife and I traveled parts of the Mississippi Blues Trail.