Ally Venable – Real Gone
12 songs – 42 minutes
It’s hard to believe that Ally Venable is still only 23. Real Gone is the Texas singer/guitarist/songwriter’s fifth CD. She released her first album, No Glass Shoes, aged just 16, since then she has toured relentlessly and garnered a wealth of accolades from other musicians, fans and guitar magazines as well as recording and releasing her other albums. She and her crack band are currently supporting Buddy Guy on his farewell tour and her latest release clearly demonstrates why. Produced by Grammy award winning Tom Hambridge, Real Gone is a raucous collection of guitar-fueled blues and blues-rock that is impossible to listen to without a huge smile and a foot tapping in time to a series of relentless grooves.
Venable sets out her stall in the classic blues-rock of the opening title track with its over-driven guitar riff that sounds like something Girlschool would have wanted to write in the 1980s. Venable’s wah-wah lead guitar only adds to the retro feel to the song while Hambridge’s drum pattern would beat down a brick wall. The pace doesn’t let up in “Going Home”, despite its extended introduction, before leading into the riff-driven “Justifyin'”. Special guest, Joe Bonamassa, contributes a stellar guitar solo to the slow blues of “Broken And Blue”. The funky “Don’t Lose Me” has an insatiable groove, while the swamp pop of “Any Fool Should Know”showcases Venable’s superb voice.
The stomping duet with Buddy Guy on “Texas Louisiana”, with its intertwining vocals and dueling guitars is a particular highlight of the album, while “Kick Your Ass” has a single note riff straight out of the Led Zeppelin songbook, nicely segueing into a quieter verse section. “Blues Is My Best Friend” starts out as a finger-picked acoustic country blues straight out of Mississippi before the band kicks in with a classic grinder. There is a hint of Bonnie Raitt in Venable’s vocal line here. The haunting “Gone So Long” displays great restraint and a lovely vocal melody. The album finishes as it starts, with the full bore blues-rock of “Two Wrongs”.
Venable’s band offer top drawer support throughout. In addition to Hambridge on drums, percussion and backing vocals, the record also features Kenny Greenberg on guitars, Tommy McDonald on bass, Moke Rojas on keyboards, Rachel Hambridge and Sarah Hambridge on backing vocals, Max Abrams on saxophone and Steve Patrick on trumpet.
Superbly recorded by Zach Allen at Nashville’s Sound Stage studio, Real Gone has a rare vitality and dynamism. It is probably fair to say that, in places, it slips over the line from blues-rock to classic rock, but if you like your blues with a healthy dose of “in your face” attitude and lashings and lashings of electric guitar, you will love this album.
