Samantha Fish Faster (LP)

(Rounder Records) 12 tracks


Samantha Fish has won virtually every award a contemporary blues singer / songwriter / guitarist could hope for. She is a festival headliner with multiple Blues Music Awards, gracing the cover of guitar magazines and touring internationally to packed houses. Fish commands her cathartic shows with her edgy voice and outspoken slide guitar.

For her seventh album, "Faster", she wanted to expand her sound beyond traditional blues-rock and capture the attitude and energy of her live performances. With the help of producer Martin Kierszenbaum, she wrote her strongest songs yet and expanded her sound beyond her blues-rock comfort zone to include hard rock, electro-pop and retro-soul.

The result is a highly entertaining set of sharply composed songs, featuring Fish's searing lead guitar and sultry vocals delivered with a punkish grin. Kierszenbaum's keyboards provide a poppy counterpoint to Fish's rock attitude, accompanied by a driving rhythm section featuring Josh Freese and Diego Naviara.

"Faster" is an exciting departure for an artist who is just getting going, capturing her infectious live sound on a collection of recordings that promises to break new ground and reach new fans around the world. As the title song says, it will make your heart beat faster.