A modern version of the blues is still alive and kicking, and these two guitar-slinging women are making sure it stays that way.
• Sue Foley, Pinky’s Blues - The more traditional of the two albums, Austin-based Foley is firmly grounded on the Texas side of electric blues, where Stevie Ray Vaughn and Johnny Winter used to live. Stevie Ray’s drummer, Chris Layton, is in the Foley band now, and these songs would be right in his former boss’ wheelhouse. The “Pinky” in the title is Ms. Foley’s trademark guitar, a Pepto Bismol pink, paisley-decorated Telecaster. Definitely not just a prop for photo shoots, she’s a serious blues shredder.
There’s nothing revolutionary going on here, just a dozen very-good-to-excellent examples of the kind of gritty, slinky, string-bending 12-bar blues that’s been associated with the Lone Star state since Lightnin’ Hopkins and T-Bone Walker were kicking up dust down there. Opening the album with the title song gives Ms. Foley a chance to show off her blues chops with a fiery instrumental. She speeds things up on songs like “Dallas Man” and the awesome “Okie Dokie Stomp,” and slows it all down on the torchy “Say It’s Not So” (my lord, that solo!). “Think It Over” is a perfect end-of-the-night, slow dance song, the kind where you can tell somebody’s getting their heart stomped on tonight. It’s all pure electric guitar, pure roadhouse blues, pure fun, and highly recommended.
EARWORM: “Pinky’s Blues” (2021) – The opener, letting you know you’re in for some serious playing.
• Samantha Fish, Faster – Ms. Fish has a reputation as a seriously hot-shit live performer. Scorching, heavy electric blues-rock guitar, including face-melting slide, with a supple but edgy singing voice. It’s not unusual for her to throw covers of Hendrix, Zeppelin, the Stones, even Black Sabbath into her sets. It’s also not unusual to see her on the cover of guitar magazines, posing with her SG, Firebird, or thinline Telecaster.
For a few years now, she seems to have more widespread commercial success within her grasp, and a rotating cast of record labels, musicians, and producers has tried to figure out exactly how to get her there, with limited success. Her last one, Kill or Be Kind, at least got her some positive reviews, if not sales. This time around, she recorded in L.A. with hip musicians and a producer determined to give her a more contemporary (read: commercial) sound. Her bluesy guitar playing is still there, but mostly as carefully placed accents, not full-on soloing. Faster still may not be the ideal setting for her, but a lot more works than doesn’t and it’s a fine listen.
The opener, “Faster,” and “So Called Lover” wouldn’t be out of place on a Joan Jett album, and I mean that as high praise. Tough, hooky rockers that suit her vocal style well. “All Ice No Whiskey” leans heavily on a ZZ Top influence she’s always had, “Hypnotic” is slinky, poppin’ R&B, sung in a killer falsetto I didn’t know was in her repertoire. “Better Be Lonely” is the most straightforward rocker on the album, with a big-sounding (designed for airplay) chorus, and stinging lead guitar. The pop lovers get “Forever Together” and “Like a Classic,” both plenty hook-laden. The biggest left turn is “Loud,” a soft-then-loud ballad that gives way to underground rapper Tech N9ne. His speedy, smart rap/singing delivery kicks a good song in the ass and makes it a great song. If she ever decided to ask me for career advice, I’d tell her to explore that kind of mashup some more, “Loud” went straight to my Qobuz playlist. Unfortunately, the album ends with “All the Words,” a piano ballad. Ms. Fish isn’t a dreary piano ballad kind of girl, she’s a rocker. Leave that crap for the Tori Amoses of the world.
Is this the record to bring Samantha fame and fortune? I doubt it. She remains an idiosyncratic artist, difficult to pigeonhole in an era of short attention span listening habits. Is it an album that deserves some totally enjoyable spins? Absolutely.
EARWORM: “All Ice No Whiskey” (2021) – Hard to pick one out of such a diverse-sounding record, but this one should give you a quick idea if you want to hear more or not.
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