ALLY VENABLE
TEXAS HONEY
RUF RECORDS RUF 1267
NOWHERE TO HIDE–BROKEN–TEXAS HONEY–BLIND TO BAD LOVE–COME AND TAKE IT–LOVE STRUCK BABY–ONE SIDED MISUNDERSTANDING–WHITE FLAG–LONG WAY HOME–RUNNING AFTER YOU–CARELESS LOVE
Ruf Records entrepreneur Thomas Ruf has a keen eye for those young’ uns who intend to carry this bidness on deep into the 21 ST Century. Texan Ally Venable, one of those fresh faces from the 2019 Blues Caravan, hits her career-defining stride with her latest, and Ruf debut, “Texas Honey.” Produced by Mike Zito at his Nederland, TX, MARZ Studios. Ally sho’ nuff holds nothing back with her guitar, and concentrated on her songwiting this go-round, writing songs from her own experiences that relate to everyone’s life., and that they can find a release from within them. The power trio is completed by Elijah Owings on drums, and Bobby Wallace on bass. They come at you hard, fast, and repeatedly!!
Ally pays tribute to Texas and its many musical heroes, with butt-rockin’ blues and plenty of stinging, gritty odes to bad love. She and her stiletto-heeled boots kick things off with the snarling “nowhere to run, Nowhere To Hide,” while the title cut issues a warning to lovers with agendas, don’t mess with the sting of that “Texas Honey!” Elijah’s pounding, Doomsday drums set the tone as our heroine always seems to “keep going back” to the jerks, making her seemingly “Blind To Bad Love.”
Those cuts are outstanding, but we chose three favorites. She pays a sweet tribute to her native Texas with a powerful take on that “Love Struck Baby,” from SRV, and she has a lot of fun showing off her upper register vocals in the traditional sounds of “Careless Love.” Hands down, tho, the guitars come out blazing as Ally and fellow six-string shredded Eric Gales go toe-to-toe with one solo after another, to see who’s strong enough to “Come And Take It!”
Another great Texan once said that, “sometimes you get the honey, sometimes all you get is the sting,” With Ally Venable and “Texas Honey,” you get a taste of both, from our favorite sweetheart of Texas blues! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
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