As a statement of intent, ‘I’m Done Runnin’ is a good place to start. Samantha Fish issuing those words with a deliberate tone to her voice on the opening track to her latest album, the singularly titled Paper Doll. Mid-paced and sassy, while picking up the beat with a nuanced riff and some back-slamming slide, alongside its lyrical content – “When I look in the mirror, staring at the unknown, the world’s not getting clearer, but I like where I’m goin’” – there’s little holding this listener back on wanting to hear more.

Taking things one step further we get the brash attitudinal ‘Can Ya Handle The Heat’ next, where things get taken up to 11 where halfway through it shifts from primal blues to screaming garage rock between a few bars of military styled drumming that ensure you’re standing to attention. As if you needed anymore of a come on, ‘Lose You’ shimmies down hard – A slinky grooved tune with a little light boogie on the side, that will soon get your feet tapping, if not others parts of your body shaking along for good measure.

Co-written with fellow New Orleans-based singer/songwriter Anders Osborne, ‘Sweet Southern Sounds’ takes things down a notch. It’s a number that breezes in warmly as unrushed guitars wind down life’s sideroads brushing up against tired reflective lyrics while a drumbeat stamps hard ensuring there’s a sense of direction, not simply idly passing time. Halfway through, guitars and voice answer that drumbeat’s call and respond  as it becomes a roaring noise fest of blues fury. “It’s an anthem about being on the road and feeling guilty about not prioritising the people in your life,” said Fish. “It’s hard to find that balance between taking care of your relationships and dedicating yourself to your music, and there’s definitely a tinge of heartache to that song.”

Things continue to shift towards calmer shores while flirting with some country folk on ‘Off In The Blue’, that shimmies gently like some forlorn 50s love song. ‘Fortune Teller’ then snakes its way slow and hazily through some eerie swampland blues. It stops for but a second then hiccups back at a hefty pace with all guitars blazing away before trundling back towards a distorted blues stretch out that at times comes across like Blue Cheer playing distorted Hubert Sumlin licks.

‘Rusty Razor’ guest features Mick Collins and is one for those who enjoyed Fish’s Death Wish Blues album with Jesse Dayton. A murder ballad dressed as live shouty revved-up beat-bop garage boogie. Crawling our way next with a big fat-assed bottom is title track ‘Paper Doll’ – Anthemic, loud, mostly proud and horny as hell, it’s a song about asking if you’re man enough to deal with a real woman and not some photoshopped dolly bird in a magazine, or as the lady herself sings: “Pistol-whip the candy off a cliché, a broken-hearted debutante, don’t fold me to your figment, dressed up in doubt.”

Going out on what’s basically a ballad might not be an obvious choice, but I think by now we’ve learnt this much about Miss Fish and it’s that she comes wrapped in many layers, and we should never bet on what to expect, if at all we ever get to see the real side of this musical talent. ‘Don’t Say It’ busks along, her voice getting ever more strained as her fervour rises. “The devil’s in the details, baby, you know how to make it hurt,” are among the tamer lyrics once you start listening to this song‘s lyrics properly. Hopefully, this is Fish narrating a story rather than recalling the actuality of a bad relationship – Either way you’ll want to go back to track one, ‘I’m Done Runnin’’, as both an act of catharsis and to hear the whole album again.

A fine bunch of songs, messing with the blues and more besides, there’s also some strong lyrical content on Samantha Fish’s Paper Doll; often sung with the same tour de force bravura, subtly, nuance and range those who’ve experienced her live have witnessed.

• Reviewed by Paul H Birch.
• Samantha Fish’s Paper Doll is available on Rounder Records here: https://rounder.com/ and here: https://found.ee/SFPaperDoll
• Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube Channel

Track List:

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