It’s 2008. But watching blonde bombshell Samantha Mollen croon in her sailor inspired dress at old school venue Hotel Cafe this past Monday night, it feels like 1972 at the underground Max’s Kansas City club where the beer was always warm, and the music was always hot. Can you dig it? A little known punk rock band called Blondie were regulars, and lead singer Deborah Harry was just a slip of peroxide teetering on her deliciously, terrific gams.
So it is with Samantha Mollen. Brought back to the present with the help of a cold beer, Samantha flirts and teases the crowd. Cute, sassy and somewhat impertinent under those "come hither" lashes, this pixie doll has substance, and fully delivers with an interesting combination of edgy vulnerability to her sultry sound.
Never mind that she looks good up there. It’s obvious that Samantha doesn’t want to rely on her made-for-stage face and sex appeal. At times, she appears almost curiously shy. Her sweetness is endearing, but deceptively brilliant. Drawing in the crowd with her internal performance, Samantha reveals a wider range of emotion and style and then lets loose especially with her hard hitting cover of Fink’s "Make it Good."
Using a wide range of facial expressions and movement, Samantha embodies her music and adds a theatrical quality to her performance clearly seen in her opening number, "Heart Strings" and later in "Blame Me." Walking a thin line from being just another angry blonde with some emotional battle scars, Samantha infuses her sensuality and charming naiveté with a bit of cheeky mirth and bittersweet passion, ala Goldfrapp. This girl knows what she’s singing about, and it shows. Instead of skimming the surface, Samantha reaches in and pounds it out on her platform heels and a caramel coated, Fiona Apple-esque, sugary tone.
Delivering most of her angst to lead guitarist Danny White, a special nod should be given to his unflappable focus, smooth transitions and masterful technique. Several brief solos highlighted his fluidity balanced by his excellent control and precision. More should be heard from this young man, and he’s definitely one to watch for.
Riding high from the success of her recently debuted EP "Don’t Make Me Sound it Out" Samantha comes across as an old pro. Her deeply personal and sensitive ballads especially "Closer to You" and "Perfect World" have been featured on WB’s hit series "Smallville" and Lifetime TV movies "Girl, Positive" and "Queen Sized" and next month in the indie film "Off the Ledge."
Samantha has recently teamed up with leading New Music media company, Nonstop Riot as one of their featured artists. Nonstop Media has been a forerunner in promoting independent artists and they have recently partnered with Sandisk Sansa MP3 players that feature preloaded live digital audio and video tracks. Samantha Mollen’s next LP is expected to be released later this year and will no doubt solidify her presence as a cute but serious musical artist. Being blonde didn’t hurt Deborah Harry any, and there’s no stopping Samantha Mollen either.
