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Paper Doll [Clear Smoke LP]
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Paper Doll [Clear Smoke LP] in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $12.79
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Size: CD
In 2017,
Samantha Fish
released
Chills & Fever
for
Ruf Records
. It was recorded in Detroit with producer
Bobby Harlow
and hosted several local luminaries, including guitarist
Joe Mazzola
(father of guitar slinger
Rose Mazzola
) and bassist
Steve Nawara
. The set received laudatory reviews, yet
Fish
felt that
Harlow
was guiding her toward "cool and dangerous" places she wasn't yet ready to travel. 2025's
Paper Doll
appears after an excellent handful of releases including
Death Wish Blues
, her Grammy-nominated collaboration with
Jesse Dayton
that has made her one of the most acclaimed blues acts in North America and Europe. While on the road,
was writing. For the first time, she thought to use her road band -- bassist
Ron Johnson
, drummer
Jamie Douglass
, and keyboardist
Mickey Finn
-- and to re-enlist
(who brought along Detroit's
Mick Collins
, of
the Gories
and
the Dirtbombs
, as a vocal guest). Recorded while on the road in Austin and Los Angeles,
offers all of
's talents with a variety of twists and turns.
The album's nine fiery, emotionally charged tracks are laden with hooks in a meld of arena rock power and energy, roadhouse blues, and garage rock.
's vocals are way up front, without sacrificing her blazing guitaristry. Opener "I'm Done Runnin'" channels country blues before her slide erupts on the refrain and
stacks her backing vocals; they sound like
Tina Turner & the Ikettes
as power chords cascade in the backdrop. The massive funky guitar intro to "Lose You" underscores a sexy, sassy, swaggering boast: "you think you're tough, but baby you ain't been in the deep end/I wanna be your god...come on and move me baby." She brings out her slide for a solo before a crooning, soulful backing vocal chorus sweetens the impact. "Sweet Southern Sounds" is introduced by a warm B-3 and slinky blues guitar licks. It slowly unfolds with a gospelized backing vocal chorus as it builds toward a frenetic finish. "Fortune Teller" is an ominous snake guitar blues with a haunted vocal, droning guitars, and a hypnotic, spooky groove that would sit nicely alongside
Dr. John
's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters."
Collins
guests on the raw garage-band strut of "Rusty Razor." Their entwined voices on the hooky chorus contrast wonderfully with the banging electric piano, multi-tracked surf-blues guitars, and driving backbeat, and it revs into a fist-pumping stadium rocker. The title cut is more aggressive, moodier, darker, and propulsive with a stomping rhythm and some of
's best vocal and guitar work on the album. Closer "Don't Say It" is a broken love song wherein the protagonist offers resolve, maintaining her dignity. It becomes a paean of liberation as her backing chorus buoys her vocal above the mix. All of
's studio albums offer consistency in vision and execution, but
exists on another level, as raw roots music and pop music join without overly polished or processed production. To date,
is
's masterpiece. ~ Thom Jurek
Samantha Fish
released
Chills & Fever
for
Ruf Records
. It was recorded in Detroit with producer
Bobby Harlow
and hosted several local luminaries, including guitarist
Joe Mazzola
(father of guitar slinger
Rose Mazzola
) and bassist
Steve Nawara
. The set received laudatory reviews, yet
Fish
felt that
Harlow
was guiding her toward "cool and dangerous" places she wasn't yet ready to travel. 2025's
Paper Doll
appears after an excellent handful of releases including
Death Wish Blues
, her Grammy-nominated collaboration with
Jesse Dayton
that has made her one of the most acclaimed blues acts in North America and Europe. While on the road,
was writing. For the first time, she thought to use her road band -- bassist
Ron Johnson
, drummer
Jamie Douglass
, and keyboardist
Mickey Finn
-- and to re-enlist
(who brought along Detroit's
Mick Collins
, of
the Gories
and
the Dirtbombs
, as a vocal guest). Recorded while on the road in Austin and Los Angeles,
offers all of
's talents with a variety of twists and turns.
The album's nine fiery, emotionally charged tracks are laden with hooks in a meld of arena rock power and energy, roadhouse blues, and garage rock.
's vocals are way up front, without sacrificing her blazing guitaristry. Opener "I'm Done Runnin'" channels country blues before her slide erupts on the refrain and
stacks her backing vocals; they sound like
Tina Turner & the Ikettes
as power chords cascade in the backdrop. The massive funky guitar intro to "Lose You" underscores a sexy, sassy, swaggering boast: "you think you're tough, but baby you ain't been in the deep end/I wanna be your god...come on and move me baby." She brings out her slide for a solo before a crooning, soulful backing vocal chorus sweetens the impact. "Sweet Southern Sounds" is introduced by a warm B-3 and slinky blues guitar licks. It slowly unfolds with a gospelized backing vocal chorus as it builds toward a frenetic finish. "Fortune Teller" is an ominous snake guitar blues with a haunted vocal, droning guitars, and a hypnotic, spooky groove that would sit nicely alongside
Dr. John
's "I Walk on Gilded Splinters."
Collins
guests on the raw garage-band strut of "Rusty Razor." Their entwined voices on the hooky chorus contrast wonderfully with the banging electric piano, multi-tracked surf-blues guitars, and driving backbeat, and it revs into a fist-pumping stadium rocker. The title cut is more aggressive, moodier, darker, and propulsive with a stomping rhythm and some of
's best vocal and guitar work on the album. Closer "Don't Say It" is a broken love song wherein the protagonist offers resolve, maintaining her dignity. It becomes a paean of liberation as her backing chorus buoys her vocal above the mix. All of
's studio albums offer consistency in vision and execution, but
exists on another level, as raw roots music and pop music join without overly polished or processed production. To date,
is
's masterpiece. ~ Thom Jurek