2017 – Ruf Records
By Phillip Smith; April 8, 2017
With her new album, Chills & Fever, Samantha Fish ventures into an exciting new direction, shifting her focus towards early Rock and R&B. Recorded in Detroit, Fish baptizes this fourteen track recording in the splendid sounds of the Sixties and Seventies, enlisting members of the Detroit Cobras( rhythm guitarist Joey Mazzola, bassist Steve Nawara, drummer Kenny Tudrick), electric pianist Bob Mervak, and a superb horn section featuring Mark Levron on trumpet, and Travis Blotsky on saxophone.
Fish sings “It’s Your Voodoo Working” with a sexy and confident voice. Her guitar teases are terrific and sound amazing, backed by the vibrant horn accompaniment from Levron and Blotsky. A new life is breathed into Irma Thomas’s “Hurts All Gone”. It’s a spectacular song with a fabulous hook. Her slide guitar on Skip James’ “Crow Jane” is a bodacious swampy treat. I absolutely love it. I’m also smitten by the wonderful cover of Lulu & the Luvvers’ “I’ll Come Running Over”. That is hands-down, one big nostalgic bowlful of fun featuring a classic rhythm and blues sound.
Chills & Fever reveals a most interesting new side to Samantha Fish. Already a huge fan of her work in the blues, this album only makes me love her music more.
This review was originally posted April 8, 2017 on my personal blog at phillycheezeblues.blogspot.com