Samantha Fish | Faster Review

Samantha Fish is back with a new blues-rock album filled with edgy vocal delivery and in-your-face guitar. For her seventh album, Faster, she wanted to develop her sound outside of her normal trad blues-rock and capture the feeling and energy of her live performances. The result is a robust set of songs with producer Martin Kierszenbaum that takes her blues-rock music and encompasses hard rock, electro-pop, and retro soul. Fish is featured throughout, dealing up her searing lead guitar and sultry vocals with a punkish nuance. Also on the album is Hannah Brier, guitar; Martin Kierszenbaum, guitar, keyboards, drums; Diego Navaira, bass, and Josh Freese, drums.

“Faster” opens with a hip guitar riff which leads us to Fish singing a captivating melody. The chorus has interesting jumps in its melody shape, which Fish navigates with ease. This is a combination of blues, rock, and contemporary country. Fish’s guitar solo is outstanding, with emotional bends and bluesy lines. A strong opening song for the album, with Fish putting her best foot forward and drawing us in with her new sounds and fiery guitar work.

“All Ice No Whiskey” is our first taste of Fish, blending her gritty guitar stylings with pop sounds and production methodology. The song makes for a strong case for Fish’s new vision of expanding her sound. Her vocals are rich, and she fits nicely in the groove. The riff is bluesy, which keeps the energy moving. The drums and backing vocals add to the funky pop sound. Kierszenbaum’s keyboards bring a pop contrast to Fish’s rock attitude, as Freese and Naviara build a catchy groove. The bridge is excellent!

Faster is an exciting album, and the departure from the blues sounds for Fish adds a new thrilling collection of sounds. Faster breaks new ground and will garner new fans from around the world in many genres.