When Samantha Fish plays your town, or someplace nearby, on one of her 250 or so yearly dates, it’s to do one thing; kick out the jams.
She makes that clear covering the MC5 classic starting most of the shows on last year’s ‘Paper Doll Live’ tour promoting her recent release. It was also opened her previous run, sharing billing with roots rocker Jesse Dayton. This document of a typical gig, recorded at Knoxville, TN.’s Bijou Theater, exemplifies why Fish has become one of the finest and most vibrant contemporary blues/rock acts, of either gender, currently grinding out endless one-nighters.
Paper Doll is the first album she has recorded with her road band, the same three musicians on these shows. They are not only tight and…
Tag Archive: Samantha Fish
…includes two bonus tracks from the original recording sessions: “Dead Armadillo,” co-written with producer Bobby Harlow, and a cover of Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down.”
“You pin me up just to tear me down/ I’m not your paper doll,” Samantha Fish spits out on the title track of her new album, Paper Doll.
To be sure, such bad-ass bravado is no surprise to anyone familiar with the blues-rocker’s steadily rising career. It’s practically her calling card, along with her torrid guitar playing. Rarely, however, has it been delivered with the kind of sonic assault unleashed here. As electrifying as Fish has proven to be as a singer and player, Paper Doll takes her to another level.
The album, which follows 2023’s…