Samantha Fish Spins
You Around With An Emotional Wild Heart
“She
snarls it, she spits it out and she could give a
damn.”
Goldmine
Produced by Luther Dickinson
Out on July 7th on Ruf Records
3rd
Studio Release is filled up to the rim with staggering vocals,
Aching guitar
riffs and thunderous drums, leaving you lifeless
Atlanta, GA – On July 7th, Ruf Records recording
artist singer-guitarist Samantha Fish, will raise eyebrows with her third studio
release, Wild Heart, produced by Luther Dickinson (The North
Mississippi Allstars/Black Crowes). Having Samantha on guitars and Luther on
various stringed instruments, they rounded out the lineup with Grammy
Award-winning Brady Blade (Emmylou Harris/Bob Dylan) on drums. Special guests
include Lightnin Malcolm (guitar), Sharde Thomas (drums) and Memphis session
singers Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Risse Norman. The result is a stunning
representation of Americana roots music.
Wild Heart was recorded in three different
studios, as they trekked the backroads from Louisiana to Mississippi in the fall
of 2014. Starting at Brady Blade’s Shreveport, Louisiana studio, they laid the
basic rhythm tracks and vocals. Luther and Samantha then hightailed it to his
Zebra Ranch Studios in Hernando, Mississippi where they had a traditional Hill
Country Blues session. Then, finally, all roads lead to Memphis where the duo
put the final touches at both Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios and the legendary
Ardent studios.
Growing up in Kansas City in a musical family, Samantha’s
first instrument was the drums before she switched to guitar. As she listened
to her musical heroes, Fish began to explore their own influences by going back
in time. After the sun went down she would visit clubs like
Knuckleheads to soak it all in. “They had all kinds of artists come
through the doors,” she says. “I really got into listening to the live
performances, and that’s just where it rubbed off on me. When you see something
right in front of you, that’s where the impact happens.” (Vox Magazine
2014) Over the years, she’s cultivated her own sound by blending her
influences ranging from Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, R.L. Burnside and Stevie Ray
Vaughan as well as her musical peers.
“I fell in love
with it,” she told Premier Guitar of her growing passion for the
form, “and started doing my homework by listening to the old guys like Son
House and Skip James.”
Only into her mid-20s she already released two CDs, played
all over the world and shared the stage with well-established to the legendary
artists from Tab Benoit and Johnny Lang to Buddy Guy. Label mate and sometimes
touring buddy, Mike Zito has long championed Samantha, produced her critically
acclaimed albums, Runaway and Black Wind Howlin'
(2013). Samantha’s had a master’s class in a wide variety of the blues. Her
work ethic is unquestioned and her love for performance is obvious.
Boys will
be boys
it’s
a powerful
thing
Better learn
how
to swim
or learn
how
to drink
– Bitch On The Run
All that ambition and passion paid off in 2012
when Samantha won a Blues Music Award for Best New Artist Debut for her
2011 release Runaway (Ruf Records). The wonderful critical praise,
winning fans at shows and all the long hours driving came to a shining moment
that put more fuel into her fire. This desire is now revealed with Wild
Heart as the pivotal moment in her budding career.
Always yearning to learn, Samantha soaked in this experience
like a sponge from the songwriting sessions to the final background harmonies.
As her songs came together, it was suggested for her to collaborate with another
songwriter she jumped the opportunity. Last summer she traveled to Nashville and
wrote with accomplished songwriter Jim McCormick, whose songs have been cut by
Trisha Yearwood and Keith Urban. A native of New Orleans, Jim has a flare for
blues-boogie and full throttle vocalization to haunting melodies that gave
Samantha a chance to growl.
“… Fish’s
commanding voice holds its own against the crunching guitar riffs and driving
beat.”
-Elmore
Magazine
Samantha and Jim wrote five of the 12 songs on the album,
including the title song, “Wild Heart”, that echoes Led Zeppelin with a whiplash
of a steady guitar riff. “Show Me” - a song that could easily be heard at some
of New York City’s finest rock clubs – wreaks stale beer. Samantha holds her own
on guitar duties on this tune as Brady Blade grinds the drums with a slow steady
roll.
As the album opens she’s bashes away with “Road Runner“, a
warning to others of this mean man that broke her heart. The driving guitar
sounds and thunderous beat supports her voice that is smooth as honey with a sad
dash of salt.
Left me
waiting by
a red-light, I
think about
him every
night
Road runner, road
runner –
Road
Runner
After wrapping basic tracks, it was off to Dickinson’s Zebra
Ranch Studios via the back roads of Mississippi. Seeing the culture and
environment upfront got her excited for the unknown. The result of that magical
setting was a cover of Charley Patton’s, “Jim Lee Blues Pt. 1”, which fits
Fish’s voice. It was an organic setting with fellow Hill Country Blues artists
Sharde Thomas and longtime friend, Lightnin Malcolm. Sharde is a native
Mississippian fife/drum player in the same American tradition of her grandfather
Othar Turner. “This session had a whole other vibe to it. The studio is out in
the country, no cell service, no distractions. You're just surrounded by nature
and guitars,” beams Samantha.
Samantha’s love for the Hill Country Blues genre started
early on as her musical foundation began to build. This fiery singer-songwriter
and guitarist met some of these players when she attended the King Biscuit Blues
Festival at age 17. There she met Lightnin Malcolm, a guitarist who befriended
the young gun and then a few years later, at Zebra Ranch, she got to record with
him. “Working with Malcolm was a longtime coming as I'd known him since I was a
teenager. Hearing hill country blues made me fall in love with blues music and
he was one of the first artists who let me jam with him.”
“One of my favorite songs on Wild Heart is ‘Go
Home’. It became so powerful and we wanted girl power, no-frills and those
ladies delivered,” Samantha proudly states. It’s a quiet moment of reflection
of an inner self struggle that can either be destructive or productive. The
background singers, Shontelle Norman-Beatty and Risse Norman provide a soothing
answer to Samantha’s tearful call.
“Maybe in
a moment
of clarity, I’ll
do what’s
right,
Maybe I’ll finally
swallow
a bit
of my
own
advice” – Go Home
Both Samantha and Luther wanted to make a live and honest
record, capturing Fish’s emotional intensity and power trio integrity. “She is
so smart and talented. It was a joy to take her under my wing and share what
I've learned with her. Samantha brought her emotional energy from her
performances which transcended into the record. The songs are very personal and
she delivered. I am proud to be a part of the record”, states Dickinson.
Samantha was equally satisfied with the results, “I was blown away by his
ability to color a song. I stepped out of my comfort zone and I couldn't be more
proud of what we made.”
Fish is an inveterate storyteller as
well. Her songs are vivid and compelling with thick guitar lines and catchy
riffs. – The
Morning Call
As the album comes to a close, Samantha has run the gamut of
emotions. Her fingers are tired and her voice is shaking but she is able to pull
out one more gem of a performance. A whispering rendition of RL Burnside’s “I’m
In Love With You”. This is Samantha at her best-caressing the melody while the
guitars and a slight drum beat flickers underneath her reassuring
voice.
Samantha has dug her high heels in some rich musical soil
with Wild Heart and is poised to reach a new level in her career.
She is armed with her guitar and these songs are in her back pocket; for there
is no doubt Miss Fish will aim and fire, with confidence.
