Kill or Be Kind
Kill or Be Kind gives Samantha Fish's blues playing a lively soul setting. Horns, keyboards and backing voices bring more colour to the arrangements, but the songs remain clear and direct. Fish has plenty of room to make her guitar count. Her singing is just as important, moving between a softer tone and a rougher delivery as the music changes around her.
Bulletproof makes an immediate impression with distorted vocals and a strong slide-guitar sound. Its weight gives the album a firm opening before the title track takes a different approach. A relaxed R&B rhythm, electric piano and horns support a melody that sounds natural in Fish's voice. The change shows how easily the record can move between force and a lighter touch.
Love Letters leans further towards melodic roots rock. The backing vocals add warmth, while the guitar gives the second half a useful lift. Fish keeps the solo brief enough for the song to remain the main attraction. Fair-Weather slows things down, making space for a more exposed vocal and a clear sense of loss.
There are sharper changes elsewhere. Love Your Lies has the quick movement and bright horns of an older rock-and-roll song, with a more unruly guitar response. Watch It Die brings stronger slide playing back into the sequence. These different approaches give the record variety without asking the listener to follow complicated arrangements.
Dirty is another strong example of Fish matching the guitar to the feeling in her voice. The closing You Got It Bad brings keyboards and horns into a heavier blues-rock setting, connecting the album's soulful middle with the weight of its opening.
Listeners who mainly want long guitar solos may find the emphasis on melody a little too controlled. Some arrangements are also smoother than the roughest moments suggest. Yet that focus gives Kill or Be Kind a clear identity. Fish uses the larger sound to support memorable songs, and the best performances make room for both her voice and her playing. It is an accessible, varied record with enough bite to keep its polished surface interesting.
