Paper Doll

by Samantha Fish

Overview

In 2017, Samantha Fish released Chills & Fever for Ruf Records. It was recorded in Detroit with producer Bobby Harlow and hosted several local luminaries, including guitarist Joe Mazzola (father of guitar slinger Rose Mazzola) and bassist Steve Nawara. The set received laudatory reviews, yet Fish felt that Harlow was guiding her toward "cool and dangerous" places she wasn't yet ready to travel. 2025's Paper Doll appears after an excellent handful of releases including Death Wish Blues, her Grammy-nominated collaboration with Jesse Dayton that has made her one of the most acclaimed blues acts in North America and Europe. While on the road, Fish was writing. For the first time, she thought to use her road band -- bassist Ron Johnson, drummer Jamie Douglass, and keyboardist Mickey Finn -- and to re-enlist Harlow (who brought along Detroit's Mick Collins, of the Gories and the Dirtbombs, as a vocal guest). Recorded while on the road in Austin and Los Angeles, Paper Doll offers all of Fish's talents with a variety of twists and turns. The album's nine fiery, emotionally charged tracks are laden with hooks in a meld of arena rock power and energy, roadhouse blues, and garage rock. Fish's vocals are way up front, without sacrificing her blazing guitaristry. Opener "I'm Done Runnin'" channels country blues before her slide erupts on the refrain and Harlow stacks her backing vocals; they sound like Tina Turner & the Ikettes as power chords cascade in the backdrop. The massive funky guitar intro to "Lose You" underscores a sexy, sassy, swaggering boast: "you think you're tough, but baby you ain't been in the deep end/I wanna be your god...come on and move me baby." She brings out her slide for a solo before a crooning, soulful backing vocal chorus sweetens the impact. "Sweet Southern Sounds" is introduced by a warm B-3 and slinky blues guitar licks. It slowly unfolds with a gospelized backing vocal chorus as it builds toward a frenetic finish. "Fortune Teller" is an ominous snake guitar blues with a haunted vocal, droning guitars, and a hypnotic, spooky groove that would sit nicely alongside Dr. John's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters." Collins guests on the raw garage-band strut of "Rusty Razor." Their entwined voices on the hooky chorus contrast wonderfully with the banging electric piano, multi-tracked surf-blues guitars, and driving backbeat, and it revs into a fist-pumping stadium rocker. The title cut is more aggressive, moodier, darker, and propulsive with a stomping rhythm and some of Fish's best vocal and guitar work on the album. Closer "Don't Say It" is a broken love song wherein the protagonist offers resolve, maintaining her dignity. It becomes a paean of liberation as her backing chorus buoys her vocal above the mix. All of Fish's studio albums offer consistency in vision and execution, but Paper Doll exists on another level, as raw roots music and pop music join without overly polished or processed production. To date, Paper Doll is Fish's masterpiece. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	04/25/2025
Label:	Rounder
UPC:	0888072674882

Tracks

1. I'm Done Runnin'
2. Can Ya Handle The Heat?
3. Lose You
4. Sweet Southern Sounds
5. Off In The Blue
6. Fortune Teller
7. Rusty Razor
8. Paper Doll
9. Don't Say It

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Samantha Fish   Primary Artist
Mick Collins   Featured Artist