Written by Jim Bille

Samantha Fish made it back to the Heights Theater on Saturday night to make up for the cancelled show from earlier this year – and boy did she ever deliver the musical goods!

With a new CD release under her belt, Fish featured many tunes from it as well as other songs from her ever growing catalog of her mix of rock, blues, funk and ballads.

Although her recorded music is a great way to familiarize yourself with Samantha Fish, the absolute best way is to attend one of her dynamic and sultry live shows.

Her passion for performing live was evident at The Heights Theater as she blasted through the almost two hour long set with raw enthusiasm and emotion. From blues ballads to crunching blues-rock numbers Fish covered it all. Her on stage energy and precise delivery is a pure adrenalin rush to witness.

The show kicked off with an anticipated bang courtesy of Samantha Fish’s cigar box guitar slide work on her song “Bullet Proof”. The next two songs were from Faster, her latest release. “All Ice No Whiskey” followed up by “Twisted Ambition” with its throbbing beat laced with heavy but discriminating, guitar licks.

“Hypnotic” had a Prince sound to it while I swear “Better be Lonely” could have been on any Black Keys release. To my ear, I think she may have drawn some influence for these numbers from these fine performers and really she hit the mark on each song.

Along with newer material Fish also featured some musical nuggets from her previous CD’s that included “Chills and Fever” and “Kill or be Kind”. Other Fish signature songs were “Bitch on the Run” and the swamp rock infused “Black Wind Howlin”.

Fish’s band consisted of Sarah Tomek on drums, Ron Johnson on bass and Matt Wade on keyboards all of whom complimented the performance with musical precession and artistry.

This was another amazing performance by one of the most vibrant and talented fixtures on the music scene today. Her touring schedule is non-stop so hopefully we will see her again in Houston sooner rather than later.

The show’s opening act was New Orleans based indy blues rock guitarist Eric Johanson. His powerhouse set lit up the crowd early with some fantastic guitar work priming the sold out venue for a dazzling evening of great music.

Keep your radar up for whenever Samantha Fish returns to Houston. These shows do sell out quick.