Samantha Fish set to drop ‘Paper Doll Live’ album in Rock & Blues Muse
r Doll felt so great on stage — it felt like the perfect time to showcase the band and our live show.”Recorded at the historic Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee, Paper Doll Live captures a band fully locked in and feeding off a packed crowd. The venue’s natural warmth and acoustics created an ideal setting for the recording, elevated even further by the addition of Nashville gospel legends The McCrary Sisters, whose soaring harmonies bring added depth and emotion to the performance.“Their voices lifted every song,” Fish says. “I love beautiful backing vocals — they pack an emotional punch. I’ve been a fan of them for years, so that was really special for me.” Fans traveled from across the country to attend the recording, creating an atmosphere of anticipation and celebration inside the theater.“Our fans aren’t afraid to travel,” Fish says. “When we announced the show, people got excited. I think that build-up always helps make a better show.”The result is a performance that feels both ferocious and communal — a moment where the band, the songs, and the audience meet in real time. While the studio album Paper Doll marked a breakthrough in Fish’s artistic confidence, the live setting strips away polish and leaves only instinct. “There’s a fire that comes across in live performance that doesn’t always translate in studio albums,” Fish says. “The stage lays all of that bare.”Songs evolve and expand in the live environment. Outros stretch. Studio fade-outs become powerful climaxes. Tracks like “Lose You” build with relentless momentum, while “Sweet Southern Sounds” allows Fish to lean into her hypnotic North Mississippi-inspired guitar phrasing. The title track “Paper Doll” lands as a defiant anthem night after night, igniting crowds with its refusal to conform.And when the band launches into a blistering cover of MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams,” the room detonates.
For Fish, the difference between studio and stage is elemental. “The studio is where you build and create your sound,” she says. “The stage is where you execute all of that. Having a crowd takes you out of your head and gives you something to play off.”Emerging from Kansas City’s blues lineage and shaped by influences ranging from Prince and Leonard Cohen to the legends of Mississippi Hill Country blues, Fish has long treated performance as her proving ground. From cold-calling bars as a teenager to headlining international festivals, she has developed a live show that balances catharsis and control, boldness and vulnerability.With Paper Doll Live, she isn’t reinventing herself — she’s documenting the power of what she and her band do every night. “I just wanted to capture what we do every night,” Fish says. “It wasn’t about chasing something new. It was about capturing the thing that has connected so deeply over the years.”If Paper Doll was a declaration of artistic power, Paper Doll Live is the sound of that power unleashed — immediate, unfiltered, and impossible to ignore.Watch “Paper Doll” (Thanks to Recorded Live In Concert for the video)
Samantha Fish is a 2x GRAMMY-nominated guitarist, singer, and songwriter widely recognized as one of the most dynamic artists in contemporary blues and roots music. The Kansas City Hall of Famer and multiple Blues Music Award-winner is known for her explosive guitar work, powerhouse vocals, and fearless songwriting. She’s has built a global following through relentless touring and critically acclaimed releases. Her solo albums — Runaway (2011), Black Wind Howlin’ (2013), Wild Heart (2015), Chills & Fever (2017), Kill or Be Kind (2019), Faster (2021), collaborating with Jesse Dayton on Deathwish Blues (2023), and Paper Doll (2023), have all topped the Billboard Blues Charts. A commanding live performer, Fish has toured internationally, performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, shared stages with artists including Slash, and The Rolling Stones and has performed as part of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. She continues to push boundaries while delivering electrifying shows that connect deeply with audiences worldwide.TRACK LISTING – PAPER DOLL LIVE
1. Kick Out The Jams
2. Paper Doll
3. Can Ya Handle The Heat
4. I Put A Spell On You
5. I’m Done Running
6. Lose You
7. Sweet Southern Sounds
8. Bulletproof
9. Miles to Go
10. Fortune Teller
11. Better Be Lonely
12. Dream Girl
13. Don’t Say It
14. Poor Black Mattie
15. Rusty Razor
16. Miles to Go
17. Fortune Teller
18. You Better Be Lonely
19. Dream Girl
20. Don’t Say It
21. Poor Black Mattie
22. Rusty Razor
23. Black Wind Howlin