Ally Venable, Heart Of Fire Review

Ally Venable is a Texas singer, songwriter, and guitarist who has won awards as a blues guitarist since age fifteen. From her first releases, No Glass Shoes (2016) and Puppet Show (2018) (read our review HERE), she gained a reputation as a fiery guitarist and earned international fans, Top 10 chart placings, and ETX Awards. Venable’s 2019 release, Texas Honey, placed #2 on the Billboard-chart and her house-rocking sets on the Blues Caravan tour showed she was a blues force to be noticed. Texas roots icon and Texas Honey producer Mike Zito is in no doubt: “Ally is the future of blues and the crossover music of American roots-rock.” Venable went to Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee, last February with world-renowned producer Jim Gaines to create her latest album called Heart Of Fire. Venable says, “On this album, I really wanted to create a tone of overcoming your struggles and persevering through them.”

Bottom Line: Heart Of Fire presents eleven tunes that are filled with Venable’s solid vocals and dexterous guitar playing. Kenny Wayne Shepherd makes a guest appearance on “Bring On The Pain.” Venable explains, “That song is about loving someone, staying true to yourself during the bad times, and saying, ‘No matter what’s going on, my love won’t change.’ Kenny is one of my heroes, so I’m very honored he said yes to be a part of the song.” The two-sound wonderful on the track and blues fans will undoubtedly want to check this one out. Set to a mellow blues shuffle, both play with authority and emotion. A hip version of Bill Withers’ classic tune “Use Me” sounds of congas, rubber-band bass, and a catchy lick. “Road To Nowhere” has Southern rock great Devon Allman playing guitar and singing with Venable on the chorus harmonies. “Devon jumped right into the song, elevated it, and brought it to life,” Venable remembers. “His vision for the song aligned perfectly with mine, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.” Allman’s guitar solo has emotional bends and heart-beating double-stops to further add energy to the song. For fiery guitar playing, be sure to check into “Hard Change” and “Do It In Heels.” “Sad Situation” pulls on the heartstrings. Venable says, “That song is about being in a state of sadness,” she explains, “and someone comes along and brings you out of it, and then nobody is able to take out your flame.” Overall, Venable’s playing on Heart Of Fire  is passionate and filled with fire, her songwriting is solid, and the various styles make for an enjoyable listen from start to finish. “My goal for this album was to give an outlet for people,” Venable considers. “That’s really where the core of these songs comes from…” That’s the short of it!

Connect with Ally Venable: Website |