Artist:     Ally Venable

Album:     Heart of Fire

Label:     Ruf Records

Release Date:     02.26.2021 

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If you don’t know anything about Ally Venable, it’s time you found out. Although she looks the part of music ingenue, she’s been winning awards as a blues guitarist since age 15. She’s currently just shy of her 22^nd birthday and Heart of Fire is already her fourth album. It’s an apt title since Venable has earned a reputation as a fiery guitarist, singer, songwriter and, above all, performer.

Counting fellow Texan Stevie Ray Vaughan as one of her prime influences, Venable’s been making noise in more ways than one. She likes it loud as the title track amply demonstrates. Kicking things off with plenty of wah-wah before settling into a satisfying riff, “Heart of Fire” lets the listener know Venable came to play. Songs like “Hard Change” and “Do It in Heels” are Zeppelinesque while “Played the Game” settles things down a bit with some bluesy slide guitar.

You can tell a lot by the company an artist keeps. Devon Allman sits in on the country-style anthem “Road to Nowhere” (Premiered on Elmore) while Kenny Wayne Shepherd helps Venable shred on “Bring on the Pain.” It’s hard to believe someone so young and attractive has experienced the type of heartache her songs reveal, but Ally’s lyrics and vocals are raw and powerful. Most of the tunes here are original compositions with the exception of the funky, percussion-driven cover of Bill Withers’s “Use Me.” There’s also a lovely instrumental “Tribute to SRV” with flourishes of another of Venable’s influences—is that “Little Wing” I hear in there somewhere?

I’ve yet to see Ally Venable live, but she’s at the top of my list once live music returns. Let’s hope we’re all back out there soon.

—Lou Montesano