Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Samantha Fish’s track record has been nigh on exemplary, every album, every collaboration, has been immersed in detail and insight; it is proof that alongside others who have given the Blues, not only a rebirth, but a reinvention in the 21st Century, that given the right person and their determination the genre can exist and flourish in a world now dominated by soundbites and ten second videos designed for the mass population.
It is in this frustrating time where celebrity is captured in incremental bursts that the truly gifted stand out, that the continual appreciation of the Kansas City born musician stands out, and like many of her peers and equals, such as Joanne Shaw Taylor and Debbie Bond, the instant cool the listener feels crawl inside their blood, giving them a delicious thrill that makes the hairs on the skin raise and the temperature boil, Samantha Fish unleashes drama and fierce Blues groove in her brand new album Paper Doll.
The intensity of the music is matched by the mindfulness of the piece, and once again showcases the skill at the fingertips of one of the modern greats, a woman so passionate in her guitar that it lights up the darkest room with the illumination of a hundred stars blazing in the night sky.
Across tracks such as Can Ya Handle The Heat?, Sweet Southern Sounds, the dramatic and fabulous Fortune Teller, Don’t Say It, and the album title track of Paper Doll, the sound of devotion to the cause of inspiring the listener and the fan is palpable, it is physically unmistakable and gorgeously unconcealed. There is no hiding place, no blushes, no covert mission, instead it is a manifestation of intent, a blatant groove that digs deep and transfers each song into the heart of the musical conversation as though it is the only thing that matters.
Samatha Fish returns from the studio armed with absolute class once again, the musician’s deep respect for her craft is undaunted and fearless; and that is the point, the driving hammer of music must be allowed to strike with truth and accuracy, it must deliver with poignancy and alluring content…all to be found within the heart and mind of the Paper Doll and the chill Iron Maiden made of steel up front on stage and in the presence of the audiophile and Blues insider.
A fantastic piece of Blues, Samantha Fish once more figures out exactly the notes and dreams of those enthralled by her sound.
Ian D. Hall