Bio

After gaining her sea legs on Chicago's vibrant open mic scene, Samantha began performing professionally in 2002. She featured regularly at Chicago's Red Line Tap and Uncommon Ground, and was soon playing regionally and internationally. She now lives in Oxford, England, where she is frequently seen on Thursday nights at the Catweazle Club.
From white-collar mediocrity and its transcendence to canine aesthetics, the topics Samantha tackles sometimes surprise. More surprising, perhaps, is the ease with which the playful and the somber sit side by side. Her voice combines the tight articulation and sultry delivery of Peggy Lee with the raw darkness of PJ Harvey. Her guitar playing bears the marks of her flamenco and classical training: cascades of rhythmic strumming alternate with filigrees of precise and subtle fingerwork. Put together, they create a distinctive sound that has captivated audiences in Europe, Asia and North America.

Reviews

'Innovative talent'
- The Oxford Mail

'Her skill was impressive, especially as she weaved flamenco influences into her guitar playing. Johnson has a particularly striking singing voice, low and halting, as if she is trying to hold in her words.'
- Chicago Maroon

'Like a night-blooming flower, Organ of Habit possesses a dreamlike, arresting beauty. Alive with spontaneity and possibility, the songs nevertheless carry a sense of assurance, of promise, of effortless inevitability. The album's lyrics, literate and glittering, speak of joys deferred, looming memories, and modern telecommunications. It's music that courses outward, settles into cracks, then draws back in and curls up beside your ear.'
- Listener review on CDBaby.com

'She delivers tighly crafted originals with candor and style, drawing her audience into rich narratives'
- Baguio Midland Courier