Recorded at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, TN, “Paper Doll Live” marks Samantha Fish’s first live album release.
Which is interesting, because back in March I saw her play, as I have many times before, in Birmingham and said in my review that night — https://maximumvolumemusic.com/174241-2/ — “Samantha Fish’s records are magnificent, make no mistake. But saying that almost feels like faint praise after a night like this. Because the truth is she’s an artist you really have to see live. That’s where she belongs. That’s where she truly comes into her own. And to paraphrase the hook from that last one: right now, she’s feeling it.”
She was the best I’d ever seen her that night. The question, then, is whether they can capture it here.
By and large, this is the same set. “Kick Out The Jams” is punk in a sweet voice, but you know she knows exactly where the trouble is, and the band is on fire from the off. The organ positively rips through it.
The title track of her last album follows, but let’s be real: she doesn’t sound too much like the broken-hearted debutante in the lyrics. Instead, the chorus crushes, the whole thing lifting itself onto another level.
“Can Ya Handle The Heat?” drips with lust, but Fish is so good at this stuff that it never feels forced. Her playing has never been in question — she is beyond good — but on the slower moments the skill is everywhere, and her voice is not far behind anymore either.
The McCrary Sisters guest on a brilliant, slide-drenched “I’m Done Runnin’”, while “Lose You” leaves you in no doubt about what is on her mind, the backing vocals giving it a deep, soulful pull.
“Sweet Southern Sound” is drenched in exactly that, and “Bulletproof” has always been a highlight. It is here too, while the boogie of “Miles To Go” is of the properly greasy variety.
“Fortune Teller” is a stark change. Fish almost talks the verses, and it has real menace, almost as if it belongs at Woodstock, until the handbrake comes off. It really is something, and arguably the finest moment here.
“You Better Be Lonely” revels in the break-up, while “Dream Girl” almost floats until the quite astonishing solo comes from nowhere.
And the more mellow stuff, which her voice seems to lend itself to so well, works incredibly on “Don’t Say It”. The vocal interplay between Fish and the McCrarys is superb.
Then a simple “let’s play some blues, huh?” ushers in “Poor Black Mattie”, and the traditional standard comes alive.
“Rusty Razor” sounds raw, as if it is actively looking to find trouble, before the more traditional blues of “Black Wind Howlin’” grooves to a finish. And if anyone needed reminding, Fish can play solos up there with the very best.
Live albums are often maligned, and I’ve never really understood why. Here’s another cracker.
“Paper Doll Live” tears it up.
RATING 8.5/10
