Samantha Fish - Live @ Campbell Steele Gallery : 3/18/16

March 18, 2016 – Marion, Iowa

By Phillip Smith; Mar 20, 2016

Friday, March 18, Samantha Fish blessed the audience at Campbell Steele Gallery in Marion, Iowa with a captivating show featuring two terrific sets of music. One couldn’t ask for a better rhythm section to back her as bassist Chris Alexander and drummer Go-go Ray.  These musicians sound extraordinary together.   Fish quickly grabbed everyone’s attention with a rousing execution of “Wild Heart”, which was followed up by the killer song “Show Me”.  Highlighted by a stellar performance from Go-Go Ray, this one brought everyone to their feet. 

Fish effortlessly commanded the stage as she ripped through “Blame it on the Moon and crowd-favorite “Runaway” on oil-can guitar and slide.  Her gorgeous acoustic rendition of Charlie Patton’s blues classic “Jim Lee Blues” was outstanding and fresh.  Fish also broke out a sweet cover of Junior Kimbrough’s “I’m in Love With You”.  This one appears on her new album, Wild Heart. 

Fish returned alone to deliver the first two songs of the second set acoustically.  She played her most streamed song, “Let’s Have Some Fun”, along with a favorite of her father, Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis”.  Afterward, the band proceeded to tear through a smashing “Go to Hell”, a mesmerizing “I Put a Spell on You”, and a phenomenally ripping “Bitch on the Run”.  Before all was done, the band took the stage for an encore to end the evening with a fearless electric cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, and it was great.  For this, I say “Bravo!”.  

All photos by Phillip Smith

Samantha Fish

Samantha Fish & Chris Alexander

Chris Alexander

Samantha Fish

Chris Alexander

Samantha Fish

Go-Go Ray

Samantha Fish & Chris Alexander

Go-Go Ray

Samantha Fish

Chris Alexander

Samantha Fish & Chris Alexander

Go-Go Ray

Samantha Fish

Kelly Richey - Shakedown Soul

2016 – Sweet Lucy Records

By Phillip Smith; Mar 13, 2016

There’s a whole lot of shakin’ going on in Cincinnati rocker Kelly Richey’s latest and sixteenth album, Shakedown Soul.  This ten song collection of original no holds-barred rock and roll packs a hell of a mean punch.  Richey handles the guitar and mic, while Rikk Manning plays bass, and producer/mixer Tobe Donohue covers drums, synth, and sequencing.  Five of the ten songs were recorded earlier and feature additional musicians, drummer Robby Cosenza, keyboardist Lee Carroll, and bassist Blake Cox.

“Fading” is quick to capture my attention with its funky rhythm and edgy INXS-like guitar riffs.  Richey can surely shred.  I like the trippy intro leading into “You Wanna Rock”.  Richey attacks this one head-on with heavy licks and her trademark powerful raspy vocals.  This is a track best served loud.  A really nice groove takes over on “Lies”.  This is the one that gets stuck my head.  “Just Like a River” is fantastic and has a Seventies pre-punk Lou Reed vibe to it.  Richey’s “I Want to Run” is another terrific track with a solid rock melody and stellar guitar. 

Richey scores huge with “Shakedown Soul”.  This is one big ball of rock and roll fun.   

  

Cécile Doo-Kingué - Anybody Listening Part 2 : Dialogues

2016 – Funky Joint

By Phillip Smith; Mar 13, 2016

Montreal guitarist and singer-songwriter Cécile Doo-Kingué having hooked me with last year’s Anybody Listening Part 1 : Monologues, has totally reeled me in with her latest release, Anybody Listening Part 2 : Dialogues.  Keeping her music on the edge of political and social awareness, Doo-Kingué progresses from the raw and acoustic direction of Monologues by adding more production and electricity, and it sounds terrific.  Joining the six new tracks on this twelve track album, are five re-recorded versions of her most outstanding tracks from Monologues : “Anybody Listening”, “Little Bit”, “Six Letters”, “Animal Kingdom”, and “Bloodstained Vodka”.  These are tracks I was really drawn to in their original acoustic versions, but I love these new recordings even more.

Besides being such a prolific songwriter, Doo-Kingué is quite the guitar master as well. It’s so fun to hear her let loose at the end of “Sunshine Lady”, which by the way features the lovely vocals of Milika Tirolien.  I dig the swampy slide which kick starts the upbeat bluesy gem “Riot & Revolution”. This song gets the blood pumping through the veins and the fists pumping in the air.  “Sweet Talkin’ Devil” is quite a sweet surprise too. Doo-Kingué slays this magnificent southern-style rocker about temptation. For a fearless closer, Doo-Kingué tears it up on her killer cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Manic Depression”. 

I have no idea what direction Doo-Kingué will take us in on Anybody Listening Part 3, but I’m already on-board, and looking forward to it. 

For more info on Cécile Doo-Kingué, visit her website http://www.cdkmusik.com/

Brothers Brown - Dusty Road

2016 – Funky Joint

By Phillip Smith; Mar 5, 2016

Listening to the debut album, Dusty Road, from Brothers Brown, puts a big smile on my face and makes me long for summertime, when outdoor concerts are in season.  Thankfully that time of year is just around the corner.  This bluesy, jam-friendly band is fronted by two gentlemen named Paul Brown: one, a double Grammy-winning producer/guitarist/singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, the other, a Grammy-nominated producer/keyboardist/songwriter from Nashville.  The other two members, bassist David Santos, and drummer Pete Young make for an outstanding rhythm section.  This is a really tight group of musicians.

When I first heard the song “Cup of Tea”, I couldn’t help but notice the Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic influence.  It’s pure southern boogie with tasty electric guitar licks and a rich organ accompaniment.  The driving beat and funky rhythm of “Hurricane” is such a rejoicing sound, it should have a label that reads, “Warning! Listening to this song could lead to the loss of shoes and uncontrollable urges to dance”.  Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere guests on this track to lay down some delicious slide.  They score big on “The River” too.  This powerful song about revisiting the past is comfort music for the soul.  I love the slow soulful groove of “Love Sake”. It’s a perfect song for chilling, relaxing and swaying.

Poignant songwriting, stellar performances, and a whole lot of heart and soul is what makes Dusty Road such a pleasurable listen.  I’ll surely be keeping my eyes out for Brothers Brown in concert now.     

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Ina Forsman - Ina Forsman

2016 – Ruf Records

By Phillip Smith; Feb 27, 2016

I absolutely love the retro R&B sounds on Ina Forsman’s debut self-titled album. This Finnish sensation brings a luscious and soulful presence to every song she sings.  Forsman’s influences begin when she was just seven years old and received her first Christina Aguilera album from her aunt.  Much like Aguilera, Forsman is not afraid to use the power in her voice. Her style reminds me of my all-time favorites, Amy Winehouse, Diana Ross, and Lana Del Rey.  

I can’t help but sway back and forth as Forsman sings the blues so sweetly in “Talk To Me”.  The harmonica accompaniment from Helge Tallqvist is downright terrific.  Constructed within a slightly ominous arena, “Devil May Dance Tonight” is one damn cool song too.  It’s a little bit twangy, and yet very suave.  The piano and brass-laced “Bubbly Kisses”, is tackled with a breathtaking sultry intensity. This track is magnificent.  Forsman concludes the album with a sweet and sexy cover of Nina Simone’s “I Want a Little Sugar in my Bowl”, in which pianist Nick Connolly and Mark Kazanoff on saxophone, create a perfectly mellow and intimate atmosphere. This one is very nice indeed.

This dazzling album gets my highest accolades. It’s a superb listen from start to finish.