I had a bloke email the site the other week about a review I’d written. He told me that because I didn’t know a song I’d covered was actually a cover, I was no better than someone who buys a Ramones T-shirt from Topshop.
I didn’t reply.
The fact is, you learn two things pretty quickly when you review records. Firstly, there’s always a bit of blag involved. Secondly, no matter the band, someone out there knows more about them than you do.
So, Dear Reader: Money & Power is Ally Venable’s sixth record. I’ve never heard the other five, but as I never review anything I don’t like, that’s all you really need to know.
Who needs love when you can have whiskey? I mean, I’m a single, teetotal bloke, so I haven’t a clue about the latter—nor much idea about the former. But Ally Venable does. She’s certain that “Brown Liquor” is the way forward. And that’s the opening track.
The guitar playing on that one (which features Christone “Kingfish” Ingram) sounds filthy, but this is an album of contrasts. She finds a soulful edge on “Maybe Some Day” and a proper rock crunch on the title track. Listen to the opening riff—the ’70s want it back.
Venable is a brilliant guitarist and her voice is incredible. That much is immediately clear, but where this really scores is in how the songs match up.
Take the ballad “Do You Cry”, for example. It builds so slowly that when it finally explodes, it’s essentially perfect. And it contrasts so well with the strident urgency of “Heal Me”. The cure? Playing the blues.
“Stopper Back Papa” brings the funk, while “Legends” carries a singer-songwriter air. “Legends aren’t born overnight,” she sings. And the inference is clear: she’s in this for the long haul.
“Keep Me in Mind” belongs in arenas. It sounds like one of those lost tracks from a Richie Sambora solo album, while the soaring “Unbreakable”—featuring the album’s other guest, Shemekia Copeland, at her anthemic best—is a record of empowerment. A vibe that “Stepping Stone” is happy to continue.
“Feel That Sting” drips with lust and benefits from Venable being such an incredibly expressive player.
And she saves one of the best for last. It might be a cover, but she owns “Black Cat”.
It’s one more surprise on an album full of them, but Money & Power—recorded in Nashville and seemingly infused with some of the city’s magic—feels close to a definitive statement.
What’s certain is that this is a quite marvellous record.
Rating: 9/10
