Dallasites were fortunate to see two powerhouse Rock and Blues players together at the sold-out House of Blues Dallas. The crowd was electric and ready for a fantastic night. Samantha Fish walked on stage under the cover of darkness and started rocking with “Kick Out The Jams.” Fish has embraced many genres after starting out in Blues, but Rock and Roll was destined to be tonight’s category.

The Kansas City native just dropped a new album, Paper Doll, and began playing the title track. Her guitar solo, while the beautiful songstress was dressed in all-black leather, showed why she’s considered to be such a bad-ass musician. She proved it when she belted out “I Put A Spell On You.”

Always a favorite for the fans, this was a much edgier version. After starting the classic song with long-string notes, she used her powerful voice as another instrument. Listeners could hear her take the music from “I’m hurting” to “I’m finally free” to “I’m in charge of my life now!” Ms. Fish also showed her maturity as a songwriter with “I’m Done Running” as it fit her voice and vocal inflections perfectly. She knew when to play a guitar solo that added immensely to the song and wasn’t just gratuitous shredding.

She supplied the same emotion on “Sweet Southern Sounds” as the crowd showed their love for her and rewarded her with a huge round of applause. As always, the multiple Blues Award Winner brought out her cigar box guitar for “Bulletproof,” another song that fit her style and demeanor perfectly. She kept the crowd engaged and involved and her emotion shined brightly as the audience went into a fever pitch and showed how far she has come as an entertainer.

“Fortune Teller” began with a Louisiana swamp voodoo beat but segued into classic R&R as she showcased her voice and owned the crowd. The drummer-turned-guitarist made her six string scream with the blues song, “Poor Black Mattie.” It contained a scorching solo and a jam that took the audience for an emotional ride. Unfortunately, her set had to end, but it finished with a bang with “Black Wind Howlin’.”

The rocker chick, chanteuse and ingenue all-in-one moved about the stage with ease, but with purpose as she let the audience know how much fun she was having. She bared a raucous guitar solo and received a well-deserved standing ovation for her music. After a quick stage change, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram walked out under a red light and immediately started riffing a funky beat. The tune morphed into “Midnight Heat” with his precision picking, showing the Blues in his soul. The Clarksdale, MS, native continued to show his amazing skills on “Fresh Out,” which sounded like he was playing more than one guitar.

His voice has matured to befit his 26 years and the crowd roared as it resonated throughout the venue. The Grammy Award Winner fused Blues and Jazz together and his picking told a complete story during “Hard Times” and “Empty Promises.” The lyrics of “Not Gonna Lie” told the story of his skyrocketing growth in the music business. The band turned it into a funky jam as Kingfish left the stage. He reappeared upstairs as he walked through the crowd, jamming all the way to the balcony as phones came out to get close-up pictures of him.

Kingfish, the second cousin of Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie Pride, stopped a few times to absolutely shred his guitar with ease. After several minutes in the audience, the guitar virtuoso made his way back to the stage, where he picked the guitar with his teeth while continuing the long jam session.

A hardcore Blues intro preceded “Mississippi Night” and had patrons dancing wherever there were spaces big enough to shake their moneymakers. The articulate shredder again turned the song into a long jam session, which thrilled everyone dancing, listening or taking photos and recording videos.

With the long jams for which he is known, these five songs comprised most of his set. The encore was stunning, though. Amazing picking led into Kingfish bringing Samantha Fish back to the stage to join in on “Long Distance Woman,” a tremendous closing song of Rock and Blues that showcased their considerable talents. They kept the jam going as listeners would have stayed all night long to listen to the prolific picking that filled their musical souls.

As warranted, the night ended with a Standing Ovation and a tremendous amount of respect. Samantha Fish and Kingfish Ingram are both young and their careers are shooting up fast. The Gone Fishin’ Tour only lasts for a few more dates, but catch them any time you can, either together or individually. Again, Fish has a new album out, Paper Doll, and Kingfish will drop another album later this year.

Special thanks to the staff at House of Blues Dallas for their help.

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