662

662 is a quintessential second album from a hot young gun: its a record that consolidates the personality Christone Kingfish Ingram unveiled on his debut while also expanding his musical and lyrical reach. These broadening horizons also mean that 662 doesnt quite pack a wallop the way that Kingfish did. Part of the pleasure of that 2019 debut was hearing a 20-year-old Ingram play with the force and style of a 20-year veteran and, by definition, its 2021 sequel would lack that sense of surprise; introductions only happen once. Ingrams muscular guitar and vocals are known quantities and its good to hear him add some funk and rock to his blues, not to mention the slight modern R&B air he lends to the ballad Another Life Goes By or the smooth groove that fuels Youre Already Gone. None of the new sounds push him outside of his wheelhouse, but they add some color and dimension to his straight-ahead blues. This musical deepening carries Ingram through his tendency to be too on the nose with his lyrics, a penchant that hardly derails 662. Maybe he hits the nail directly on the head when singing about his youth or hard times, yet theres an appealing earnestness to his vocal delivery and a might to his guitar solos that helps 662 seem vibrant even on material that sounds familiar. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine