Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has never been content to simply carry the torch for the blues. With Hard Road, his latest and most daring release, the 26-year-old guitar slinger, singer, and songwriter is widening the lane he built for himself while keeping one foot firmly planted in the Delta soil that raised him. Rolling Stone once hailed him as “a rare 21st century guitar hero and the undisputed future of the blues,” and this album proves the prophecy was on point.

Recorded for his newly launched Red Zero Records and co-produced with Ric Whitney, Patrick “Guitar Boy” Hayes, Nick Goldston, and longtime ally Tom Hambridge, Hard Road is the sound of an artist determined to push forward. It blends blues tradition with hard rock grit, funk swagger, soulful pop, and R&B smoothness, showing how wide Ingram’s vision has become. Songs range from the slinky pulse of “S.S.S.” to the spiritual thunder of “Crosses,” all the way to the raw acoustic closer “Memphis.”

For Ingram, Hard Road is also personal. “I’ve always wanted to do music that showcases my voice and my songwriting as well as my guitar playing,” he says. “I feel like this is the first album that showcases this approach.” That balance is clear in tracks like “Clearly” and “Hard To Love,” where his lyrics reveal the sacrifices and struggles that come with his chosen path.

Born and raised in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Ingram first shook the blues world with his 2019 debut Kingfish, which spent 91 weeks atop Billboard’s Blues chart. His 2021 follow-up 662 earned him a Grammy and cemented his reputation as both a shredder and a songwriter of depth. The fiery Live in London in 2023 brought him back into the spotlight again with another Grammy nod. Each step has raised the stakes, and Hard Road is his most ambitious leap yet.

The album also marks a turning point with the launch of his own label, giving Ingram not just creative control but a chance to elevate other artists who, like him, grew up in the blues but haven’t had the same resources. “There’s a whole lot of other guys and girls leading the life in this blues world,” he explains. “But they don’t have the same opportunities as I did. We’re just trying to be that helping hand.”

With Hard Road, Kingfish Ingram has put his story, his fire, and his faith into every note. The record is a testament to his growth and his refusal to let the blues stand still. “We see a lot more young people in the crowd these days,” he says. “That’s pretty much what we’re trying to do. We lure my generation in, and then once we get them in, we can show them about the real raw thing.”