The month’s best guitar music – a hand-picked selection of the finest fretwork on wax
Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram
Alligator Records (available now)
10/10
Blues guitar hero in waiting captured on the live stage
Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram is receiving some well-deserved time in the spotlight lately, not just for his grasp on authentic blues styles (Three Kings, Buddy Guy, Muddy…) but also his embracing of more modern greats such as Gary Moore and Eric Gales. On top of that, he’s into R&B and gospel/ neo soul music, too, making for a really appealing range of elements. That magic has now been captured live – and it’s a joy to hear.
Take She Calls Me Kingfish, the album’s opener – here’s a tight band nailing a tasty arrangement complete with a rock gospel intro evocative of bands such as Mint Condition. On this track, Christone solos with real authority and his vocals have a richness beyond his years. Fresh Out is a slow burner, with drums and bass locked solid as he sings and wails. Another Life Goes By is almost a nod to the minor key vibe of The Thrill Is Gone but takes fresh turns and ups the chord changes. Onto Hard Times and you’ll hear a funk blues where Christone switches to the bridge pickup to get his guitar really screaming. As for the instrumental, Mississippi Night, he pulls out some killer BB King meets Gary Moore licks, working his sustained notes with rich finger vibrato and teasing bends. And don’t miss Midnight Heat, which offers up a real groove and vibe!
For sure, there are plenty of great blues-orientated artists around, but Christone – with his Chicago blues meets 70s funk meets gospel leanings – demonstrates he’s got the goods to be a modern-day legend.
Standout track: Midnight Heat
For fans of: SRV, Albert King, Eric Gales
The Rolling Stones
Polydor (available now)
8/10
The boys are back in town!
Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, you have to award The Stones merit points for sheer endurance alone. It’s been a long wait for new material: 2016 saw the release of their ‘back to the blues’ album, Blue &
Lonesome, but the last album of original material was way back in 2005 with A Bigger Bang. It’s also the first release since the death of Charlie Watts. A guest-star studded album, Hackney Diamonds sees the band joined by Lady Gaga, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and original bassist Bill Wyman, and kicks off with the power and pomp of Angry. Ronnie and Keef push things along with Mick proving that his vocal prowess is still as strong as ever, despite reaching the grand old age of 80 this year. Depending On You is a typical Stones mid-paced ballad, while Mess It Up shows that the boys can still rock harder than most.
