Album Review: Samantha Fish - Chills and Fever

Ruf records are one of my favourite labels at the moment releasing quality blues of all flavours from soulful blues to blues rock to acoustic blues and are one of the champions of women in the blues.
Samantha Fish is one of the many female blues artists that got her break on Ruf and she has just released her 5th Album on the label which sees her breaking from her well established Blues Rock sound. This album has one foot firmly planted in the 60’s Soul/Motown era while the other is at different times planted in Rock, Garage and Country. Chills and Fever sees the addition of a horn section and the usual blistering Guitar work which Samantha is usually known for is replaced by playing of a much more subdued nature which is more suited to the Soul sounds being delivered on this album. The sound channels the retro/modern feel previously championed by the likes of Duffy, Amy Winehouse and to a lesser extent Vintage Trouble and while it can be a fine balancing act trying to tap into the retro feel without sounding kitsch Samantha Fish most definitely manages to pull it off in fine style. The lyrical content of the 14 songs over 54 minutes doesn't stray from the well worn path of relationships which can be wear slightly thin over this length but despite this minor bump in the road start to finish this album is simply a delight to listen to.
And while some small amount of people may initially scratch their heads at this new direction it is unlikely Samantha will be losing any fans and if anything will see her gaining more than a few new ones.