Ally Venable Releases New Record “Heart of Fire”

New Release: Ally Venable: Heart Of Fire

Released 2021 on Ruf Records

“Venable pulls off a stunner of gritty and/or sultry blues-rock tunes embellished with lots of tasty guitar solos.”– Guitar Player Magazine

Ally Venable, an award-winning 21-year-old guitarist from Kilgore, Texas, just released her fourth long-player, Heart Of Fire via Ruf Records.

Rolling up the amps, this release from the acclaimed singer-songwriter is a record Venable hopes her fans find inspiring.

“My vision was to spread a positive message of love,” Venable says. “The world needs that right now.”

If Heart Of Fire finds Venable giving the globe some much-needed love, then the feeling is entirely mutual. Still, in her early twenties, her two decades have moved as fast as her fingers, her path winding from childhood church choirs to the teenage influence of local heroes like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Miranda Lambert.

So far, Venable has released four albums; No Glass Shoes (2016) and Puppet Show (2018) earned her international fans, Top 10 charting, and ETX Awards, but it was 2019’s #2 Billboard-charting Texas Honey and house-rocking sets on that year’s Blues Caravan tour that sent her to the next level. Now, with Venable’s fanbase snaking further around the block every time she blows into town, Texas roots icon Mike Zito has no doubts, “Ally is the future of blues and the crossover music of American roots-rock.”

Working at the Bessie Blue Studio in Stantonville, Tennessee, with world-renowned producer Jim Gaines, Heart Of Fire finds Venable laser-focused on her songcraft, challenging herself to write unguarded honesty, even if it hurts.

“On this album, I wanted to create a tone of overcoming struggles and persevering,” she explains.

Like any battle, this record gets loud. In a world of electronic pop, this old-soul gunslinger riffs up a storm on the Led Zeppelin-worthy sting of “Hard Change” and “Do It In Heels,” revs up the slinky hook of “Sad Situation” and drives the title track’s intro with a heavy boot.

“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 can snuff out your flame.”

The only player who could follow her fretwork is special guest Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who tears up “Bring On The Pain.”

Venable says, “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.”

While nobody is better at squeezing fresh juice from the blues-rock genre, Venable’s songwriting frequently forks into left field. There’s the chain-gang stomp of “Hateful Blues,” its lyric cursing a cruel lover.

There’s the pace-changing cover of Bill Withers’ classic “Use Me,”  reborn here with congas, rubberband bass, and a groovin’ lick.

And the impossibly wistful “Road To Nowhere,” featuring Devon Allman dovetailing with Venable on the chorus harmonies.

“Devon jumped right into the song, elevated it, and brought it to life,” she says. “His vision for the song aligned perfectly with mine, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.”

The same could be said for Heart Of Fire. Defiant, passionate, honest, and raw, this is the record these times demand from an artist who refuses to wait for the storm to pass but prefers to dance in the rain.

“My goal for this album was to give an outlet for people,” Venable says. “That’s really where the core of these songs comes from.”

Find out more on www.allyvenableband.com.

See where Ally is playing HERE.