Album Review: Samantha Fish - Paper Doll Live

Samantha Fish

Paper Doll Live

**** out of *****

The Kansas City born, New Orleans based, blues/rock guitarist Samantha Fish makes her way by performing live hundreds of nights a year and has done so for decades. Now comes Paper Doll Live, her first official live album on Rounder Records, capturing the immensely talented Fish and her band's energetic show.  

Album Review: Samantha Fish - Paper Doll

Samantha Fish

Paper Doll

***and1/2 out of *****

The newest offering on Rounder Records from guitar great Samantha Fish, Paper Doll, continues Fish's style of supped up rocking blues, yet turns down her recent electro-pop tinges. 

Live Review: The Samantha Fish Band - 3/12/22 Palladium NYC

The Samantha Fish Band

3/12/22 

Palladium, NYC

In the midst of her Northeast winter/spring tour Samantha Fish brought her band to the heart of Times Square for a Saturday night show, braving a deep March freeze which saw the wind howling to single digit levels on this night. Perhaps it was the below freezing temperatures or the fact that other New Orleans artists were playing the city on the same night (Galactic at Webster Hall and Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Brooklyn Bowl)  or simply Covid, but The Palladium on this night was only sparsely populated on this night. 

The show opened with the River Kittens who played soothing acoustical notes to the small crowd on guitar and mandolin. The St. Louis based folk-duo of Allie Vogler and Mattie Schell were excellent harmonizing together as they wrapped up their opening slot with a cover of The Faces "Ooh La La" which fit perfectly into their easy flowing, soothing sound. 

The four piece Samantha Fish Band took over the stage like the rock stars they are with The MC5's "Kick Out The Jams" blaring through the speakers while the four piece (Fish guitar, Ron Johnson on bass, drummer Sarah Tomek, and Matt Wade on keyboards) tuned up. The slide work on her cigar box guitar was working overtime for "Bulletproof" as the band blasted off focusing on Fish's recent release Faster. 

The rock got ramped up on the strutting "All Ice No Whiskey" while the bass growl from Johnson and the drumming from Tomek shined on "Twisted Ambition".  Fish dialed up the smooth soul vocals and shuffling for the slick "Kill or Be Kind" and "Crowd Control" while shockingly a fight broke out right in front of the stage as Fish briefly stopped the show and order was restored.

The set ended with blues guitar majesty as the River Kittens rejoined to add supporting vocals to "Dream Girl" but it was the front woman herself who stole the show delivering impassioned vocals and blazing guitar work on this highlight number. For any in attendance who doubted her talents, this song put it all into perspective, simply put Fish is one of the most dynamic performers in any genre playing music today. 

An added bonus found Eric Gales joining the band for a blistering version of Fish's "Black Wind Howlin'" which was pure heavy rocking, blues guitar heaven. The six string dueling crackled with excitement and spontaneity as the set climaxed.

Unfortunately I could only stay for two songs from The Devon Allman Project, so I can not give them a proper review, but hope to catch them next time they are in town. 

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Support both the bands, catch them on this tour and peep some video below from a few nights earlier on the tour:

Live Streams: Samantha Fish Friday's & Lockdown Session Saturday

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Samantha Fish Friday's

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Is it Friday yet? ...Almost! Let’s have some fun tomorrow and play some tunes on Facebook, 12 PM Noon Central on Samantha Fish Fridays... 🎙 Are you comin’? RSVP! ✔️found.ee/SFFridaysFB  Please share this post and HASHTAG #SamanthaFishFridays! 

A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic) on Apr 9, 2020 at 7:47am PDT

One of RtBE's favorites, Samantha Fish is conducting ongoing live sessions every Friday Afternoon. Join and support her on her Facebook page.

Also she will be performing tomorrow Saturday the 11th as part of Planet Rock's Lockdown Sessions:

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Looking forward to performing on Planet Rock's Lockdown Sessions on Saturday 11th April from 7-11pm GMT. Broadcast live on Planet Rock in the UK, Lockdown Sessions is s mini festival that you can listen to in the comfort of your own home. I'll be joining the line-up that includes King King's Alan Nimmo, Kris Barras, Ricky Warwick (Black Star Riders), Toby Jepson and Halestorm's Lzzy Hale & Joe Hottinger. Listen to the Lockdown Sessions via the Planet Rock Player at https://planetradio.co.uk/planet-rock/player or on digital radio, online, Planet Rock app, digital TV and smart speaker. #SamanthaFish #PlanetRockLockdownSessions #PlanetRock #Lockdown #LockdownSessions #KillOrBeKind

A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic) on Apr 9, 2020 at 3:41pm PDT

To get in the mood for this afternoon and tomorrow's show, here is some live action from her and her band:

Live Streams: Samantha Fish Friday's

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Samantha Fish Friday's

Today Samantha Fish is doing a request show on Facebook:

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🙌🏼 Friday 7/3 #SamanthaFishFridays All request show! What do you want to hear? Tune in this Friday at 7pm CT for an all request Facebook live show with Samantha Fish! RSVP on Facebook! 📸 @gregloganphotos

A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic) on Jul 1, 2020 at 6:26am PDT

RtBE loves Ms. Fish, to get in the mood for the show tonight here is one of her tunes:

Live Streams: Wild Heart Monday's: Charlie Wooton

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Wild Heart Monday's Presented By Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish is going to be producing an ongoing Monday series showcasing artist on her Wild Hearts Record Label's Facebook Page:

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TONIGHT! Don’t miss Wild Heart Records Artist, @CharlieWooton! ...Samantha Fish’s Wild Heart Records Presents WILD HEART MONDAYS, an Intimate Concert Series Live on Samantha’s Facebook, every other Monday at 7pm CT beginning May 18th featuring the artists from Samantha Fish‘s Wild Heart Records label: Charlie Wooton, Jonathon Long, and Nicholas David! RSVP!! TONIGHT WE FEATURE CHARLIE WOOTON! 🙌 Spread the word!! MORE ABOUT CHARLIE WOOTON: Charlie Wooton was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, with his four older brothers, who were all exceptional musicians, including Dr. John Wooton, head of percussion at USM. As a teen, music was Charlie’s life; studying Classical and Jazz during the day, then playing gigs at night with his brother David, or Bobby Brooks, or spending 6 straight hours playing Zydeco at the LaLa with Grammy winner Chubby Carrier. Charlie soaked it all in, learning how to put on a show, manage a business, and continue to hone his craft. At 20 years of age, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a sound engineer at 3rd Encore Studios. It was there he met and played with Kim Stone, bassist for Spyro Gyro, who gave Charlie his signature blue bass. Soon, Charlie felt it was time to move back to the south, and make Atlanta home. Getting back to his Louisiana roots, Charlie formed Zydefunk. This energetic cross-pollinated band took Atlanta by storm, playing sold-out gigs and parties all over the Southeast. Zydefunk has even been featured multiple times on CNN. Charlie also began to feature his other influences of jazz, classical, blues and world music with Charlie Wooton Project (CWP). Charlie had the opportunity to play with artists like Count M’Butu, Oliver Wood, Donny McCormick, Sean Costello, Grant Green Jr., Jeff Sipe, Dick Smith, Rev. Jeff Moser, Doug Belote and Willie Green. In 2010 Charlie moved back to his home state of Louisiana. Since then, he has played with some of the best acts in New Orleans: Bonerama, Sonny Landreth, Zigaboo Modeliste, Johnny Vidacovich, Cyril Neville, Chief Monk Boudreaux, New Orleans Suspects, Big Sam's Funky Nation and many more. As a member of Royal Southern Brotherhood for 4 years..

A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic) on May 18, 2020 at 9:55am PDT

To get ready for the show here is some Charlie Wooten:

Album Review: Samantha Fish - Kill Or Be Kind

Samantha Fish

Kill Or Be Kind

*** out of *****

In 2017 Samantha Fish explored two different avenues of her influences as Belle Of The West played with mostly acoustic country/roots/blues and Chills & Fever dove into rocking soul sound. Now her newest release Kill Or Be Kind, moves close to combining all of her varied influences into a thematic sound of her own that pushes into pop territory. 

The trials and tribulations of love are all over Kill Or Be Kind, as Fish worked with a variety of songwriters to move further away from the blues, but her strong playing and singing are still her rock solid foundation.

Tracks like "Try" and the title song prove her electric blues style is still in tact but it is newer sounds like The Beatles pop inspired ballads like "Fair-Weather" and "Dream Girl" which push Fish into a more mainstream sound. "She Don't Live Around Here" and the sultry "Dirty" both keep the electric organs and guitar solos but also successfully tests these same waters. 

A modern groove filters through the opening "Bulletproof" but the track seems to be yearning to be more dangerous. Along with "Watch It Die, both tracks while well written and performed, are understated and constrained by Scott Billington's production. A better pairing is the revved up soul horns and ripping solo on "Love Your Lies". Fish seems to be putting her lyrical stamp on tracks and the sexy "Love Letter" grooves and builds successfully to a rousing climax.

Closer "You Got It Bad" is a good example of Fish mindset on this record. On past albums a burner like this would have been blown out and extended with raging solos but every time it seems ready to explode through her powerful singing or playing it drops back down; the rawness of Fish's style has been tempered for more of a pop polished push on Kill Or Be Kind.

Fish is a blazing live performer who pours everything out onto the stage, her studio work is evolving and while not up to her live playing yet, there are lots of positive takeaways as Kill Or Be Kind is a successful step in her broadening career.
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Support the artist, buy the record and peep some video:

Album Review: Samantha Fish - Faster

 Samantha Fish 
Faster
***and1/2 out of *****

Over her last few albums Samantha Fish has been searching for a sound. From Appalachian folk, to Memphis soul to Blues rock, Fish has dabbled with everything. Her last offering Kill or Be Kind tried to combine it all while starting the obvious flirtation with modern pop. The ambitious Faster dives into those waters head first.   

From the album art tongue lick to the opening guitar licks, Fish is going all in on a modern sound. When she nails it, like on the ripping opening title track, the slinky dynamo "Twisted Ambition" and the organ over electric cackling feedback of "Imaginary War", she recalls the electro/rock/blues hybrid Jack White has displayed on his recent releases. Like those White records however there are a few misses and the album stutters along mixing inspiration with placid offerings ("Forever Together", "Crowd Control"). 

Working with  producer Martin Kierszembaum (Lady Gaga, Sting, Sheryll Crow), Fish has made her preferences known, injecting tons of synth into the swaggering "All Ice No Whiskey" which contains a killer solo, before "Hypnotic" focuses on bleeps and full on electro groove. "Like a Classic" finds the blues strut stepping up around the confident playing while the closer on this short album "All the Words" is a straight ballad focusing on Fish's singing and lyrics. 

Backing Fish are drummer Josh Freese (Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, The Replacements), and bassist Diego Navaira (The Last Bandoleros) as the band rev up the punky "So-Called Lover" that has a distinct TV On The Radio "Wolf Like Me" feel. The most surprising contributor to the album though is Tech N9ne who ends "Loud" with his rhyme scheme. That track is a good barometer on the album, the quiet to arena rock loud of its title, from verse to chorus, has the markings of a major hit, the guest at the end should solidify it, but there is just something off, keeping the tune and Faster as a whole from the heights shot for.

This modern pop progression was obvious from Fish's trajectory and is the right move. She is a blues guitar dynamo who will be able to play live in acoustic or electric settings for the rest of her career commanding a loyal fan base. However, she has loftier goals and pop superstardom is not beyond her talents, unfortunately Faster is just a first step and there are some stumbles along the positive direction. 

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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Dylan Cover #373 Samantha Fish "In My Time Of Dyin'" Live

In this ongoing Monday Series we will be exploring various artists versions of Bob Dylan song's. Today's artists, Samantha Fish performing a live cover of "In My Time Of Dyin'" 

This month we have a special focus on Artists who will be playing the 2019 Jazzfest in New Orleans. Today we highlight, Samantha Fish who plays this Thursday, on the Main Stage May 2nd.

Thoughts on Dylan Original
Technically this is cheating as it is not a Dylan original, however he recorded it on his debut album, 1962's Bob Dylan. Originals and variations of the lyrics/singing seem to date back to the 1920's but those are only recordings or transcriptions, odds are the song was handed down much earlier then that. On Dylan's studio version there is this great quote:

Dylan had never sung 'In My Time of Dyin' ' prior to this recording session. He does not recall where he first heard it. The guitar is fretted with the lipstick holder [ makeshift slide ] he borrowed from his girl, Suze Rotolo, who sat devotedly and wide-eyed through the recording session

Wide eyed indeed. He titled his version of this tune "In My Time of Dyin'" so today we are going to go with this one.

Cover:


Thoughts on Cover Artist:
This is RtBE's first exposure to Samantha Fish and this is just example 1,383 of why we love doing this series, finding amazing guitarists/singers/performers like Ms. Fish who are supremely talented.

Thoughts on Cover:
A powerful moving cover of this deeply passionate song finds Fish singing and playing her cigar box guitar with gusto. Fishes slide playing is dynamite, as is her singing RtBE will need to dive more into her. Thankfully her schedule is chock full when it comes to playing all this week in New Orleans around Jazzfest, and we hope to catch her, can't wait to see her perform.

Album Review: Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton - Death Wish Blues

Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton

Death Wish Blues

***and1/2 out of *****

The first collaborative album from blues guitarists Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton finds the duo trading lead vocals around swirling layers of distorted/clean six strings and tales of woe as Death Wish Blues flow out into the air. 

Live Streams: Samantha Fish Guitar Box Festival

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can. 

Today we highlight: Samantha Fish Guitar Box Festival 

A great guitarist is putting a smoking spin on things as Samantha Fish hosts her Guitar Box Festival today and tomorrow in New Orleans and virtually.

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A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic)

To get in the mood here is Fish ripping away on a cigar box guitar for a dynamite version of "Shake'em On Down".  

Live Streams: Samantha Fish

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Samantha Fish

Today at 1pm from Relix Studios comes Samantha Fish and her band. RtBE loves Fish, caught her recently and rated her show from Brooklyn Bowl as our favorite from last year. 

Catch her this afternoon and to get in the mood, here is a live tune from Fish and company:

New Tour Dates for Samantha Fish and the Devon Allman Project

One of RtBE's favorites, Samantha Fish is hitting the road again, co-headlining with the Devon Allman Project.

Tour dates and video are below and for those who haven't caught Miss Fish yet, it is a must.  She delivered our favorite show of 2021 and flat out kills it. 

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A post shared by Samantha Fish (@samanthafishmusic)

Here she is slaying at Brooklyn Bowl:

Live Streams: Samantha Fish and Devon Allman Project from Brooklyn Bowl

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Samantha Fish and Devon Allman Project from Brooklyn Bowl

Tonight from Brooklyn Bowl comes some great guitar rock of both Samantha Fish and Devon Allman. Check out the stream tonight. RtBE will be in person at Brooklyn Bowl rocking out. 

To get in the mood here is video from both artists. 

Live Review: Samantha Fish 5/5/2022 at The Howlin' Wolf New Orleans, LA

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!

It is of Samantha Fish live 5/5/2022 at The Howlin' Wolf New Orleans, LA.

Samantha Fish is one of our favorites. RtBE has reviewed her albums and will always catch her live whenever possible, last year she even topped our favorite live show list. 

Support the artist, read the review and peep some video below:

New Songs From Sleater-Kinney, Samantha Fish, Seratones and The Highwomen

Three of RtBE's favorites have released new tunes from upcoming full length releases and they are all pretty rad.

First up is Sleater-Kinney who unfortunately recently announced that Janet Weiss and the band are parting ways when their upcoming tour begins. It brings to an end an amazing era for the band, but Weiss plays on the forthcoming The Center Won't Hold, produced by St. Vincent and the title track is released now. It is a creeping, slow building explosion with some experimental tendencies:


Next up is the blues/rock/glam dynamo Samantha Fish with her first single from her upcoming album titled Kill or Be Kind. The track is titled "Bulletproof" and shows off Fish's cigar box guitar skills as well as a rolling blues groove and some distortion.


Batting third are the Seratones whose new album Power comes out in exactly a month. This is the title track with a powerful video from the group, shot in their hometown of Shreveport, LA.


The last new tune comes from The Highwomen who are a country/folk super group consisting of Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, and Natalie Hemby. Their first single is "Redesigning Women" and their full length will be out in September. Check out the cool video here:


Can't wait until all the full albums come out as they are some of our most anticipated of 2019.

Live Review: Samantha Fish 10/30/21 Brooklyn Bowl

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!

It is of Samantha Fish's blistering live show from 10/30/21 at the Brooklyn Bowl. 

This was a doozy of a performance of blues based rock and roll. Fish and company brought the goods and she in particular was on it all night, ripping solo after engaging solo. 

Support the artist, read the review and peep some video below:

Year In Review 2025 - Favorite Albums of 2025

Here are our all of our favorite albums of 2025. This is the year end review, all in one place.

Below are our picks for RtBE's favorite albums of the year. It starts with our honorable mentions then moves into our top ten albums of the year. There is a short blurb about the album and a song from it, click on the title to read our full review of the selected records. The focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen to all the way through.

We also took some time to discuss our favorite album artwork, our favorite archive/live album releases and favorite live shows from the year if you are interested.   

Thanks for reading. Until next year....

Year In Review 2019 - Favorite Live Show

The live show is a slippery thing. There are lots of variables at play, most having little to do with the performance itself. Does the venue have enough bathrooms? Is it going to rain? What day of the week is it on? Did I have a shitty day at work before hand? Did tickets cost waaay too much? All of this effects one's opinion of a live show before the band even tunes up and with reason, but when the stars align, there is no place RtBE would rather be than in the moment of magic occurring spontaneously from the stage.

Live Music Has No Equal!

Taken By The Fantastic Megan Donohue

While obviously we can't see every show that is out there, we try to get out often to catch live music. Sure there are a few left in the calendar year, but for now, here is a listing of the best concerts we were fortunate enough to have caught in 2019.

There are links to show reviews in the titles, also because who doesn't love arbitrary rankings, one show at the bottom took the top prize as RtBE's 2019 Favorite Live Show. This year was excellent for live music as some killer concerts were left off this list.

Live Streams: Tipitinas.TV - Galactic, Tank & The Bangas etc

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Tipitina's TV Saturday Nights

Starting tomorrow night 6 weeks in a row Tipitina's TV is going to broadcast live sets from a few of the best acts going in New Orleans these days. The home team Galactic kick it off tomorrow with Samantha Fish and a host of other greats coming up:

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We're incredibly excited to announce the launch of our latest initiative: Tipitina’s.TV Presented by Crystal Hot Sauce! To celebrate this grand unveiling, we ask that you join us for a 6-week concert series airing every Saturday at 9PM EST/8PM CST and running from August 15th - September 19th! Tickets are currently available for each show individually at Tipitinas.TV - or a subscription for the full series will be available soon! Follow the direct links below for more info - or click the link in our bio! Aug 15 - Galactic: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv815 Aug 22 - Rebirth Brass Band: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv822 Aug 29 - Anders Osborne: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv829 Sept 5 - Tank & The Bangas: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv905 Sept 12 - Samantha Fish: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv912 Sept 19 - The Radiators: 2nu.gs/tipitinastv919 Show your support for these great artists during this difficult time by getting down with us in the coming weekends! We would also like to say a huge THANK YOU to Crystal Hot Sauce for their support in making this amazing opportunity possible for ourselves and the artists and crews at this time. <Powered by Nugs.tv>

A post shared by Tipitina's (@tipitinasuptown) on Aug 8, 2020 at 8:37am PDT

To get ready for the new series here is Tank & The Bangas: