Hello Reader,
Welcome back. How’s your day going so far?
Today we’re going to delve into Ginny Luke. Luke, is the daughter of a mom that was a pianist and a dad that was a conductor. Surrounded by music, in small-town Iowa, she took music lessons early in life as a preschooler. In her youth, she practiced violin and piano for up to eight hours a day. By the age of 14, she was a concerto soloist. At 16, she made her Carnegie Hall debut!
She moved to LA to form an all-girl band but found the ridiculously dog-eat-dog environment difficult to navigate alone. Rock legend Meat Loaf hired Luke as part of his backing band, the Neverland Express on their 2011 tour. After that, Luke was involved in sessions with artists like Snoop Dogg, will.i.am, Nicki Minaj and Hozier.
Luke’s new solo vocal album Devil at My Heels is the second debut album we’re ecstatic to be able to share with you this week. Devil at My Heels is out via KZZ Music/Blue Élan Records on Friday November 1st for your listening pleasure. This link is the easiest way to find this album on the format of your choosing. From the album’s press release, Luke said of about the album, “It’s badass melodic rock with scorching violin. And a declaration of my autonomy and the journey of understanding my human experience.” Luke also said, “Good art makes you think, but I also believe that good songs are simple and understandable. I want people to walk away feeling empowered, courageous, and musically fulfilled, but also feeling either understood or having questions about their existence.” Are you excited to listen yet?!
Giving credit where it’s due. Devil at My Heels album credits:
- Vocal, Electric Violin, Acoustic Violin: Ginny Luke
- Featured Artist: Orianthi on “Devil at My Heels”
- Guitar Feature: Nili Brosh on “Burn featuring Nili Brosh”
- Drums: Johannes Gritschacher
- Bass: Dmitry Gorodetsky
- Rhythm Guitar, Guitar: Nick Maybury
- String arrangement: Ginny Luke, Onree Gill
- Produced by Dave Darling (Def Leppard, Brian Setzer) and Zackary Darling (John 5, Eric Gales)
- Engineered and Mixed by: Zackary Darling
- Mastered by: Eric Bard
And now for some hype for your ears!:
The video for the titular track “Devil at My Heels feat. Orianthi” features fellow female rocker Orianthi, and is featured on Luke’s YouTube page:
(All credits and rights to Ginny Luke)
The adventure seeking song, “Other Side”:
(All credits and rights to Ginny Luke)
The audio for the hard charging, wonderfully defiant song “Yeah Yeah Yeah”:
(All credits and rights to Ginny Luke)
Performing a Deep Purple cover with another fellow female rocker, Nili Brosh for the song “Burn (featuring Nili Brosh):
(All credits and rights to Ginny Luke)
Also in the album’s press release, Luke said, “I hope that women identify with songs like ‘Woman I Wanted To Be’ and that people can experience that and reflect on their own life and challenges, or their own pain. And I hope they can find some answers within themselves from listening to that song and a couple of others on the album.” Hopefully the album is cathartic and helpful to you as well.
Devil at My Heels brings the energy and doesn’t slow down. In her debut solo vocal album, Luke establishes herself as a badass, one to be recognized as such going forward. If you didn’t know her so already. The vocals are passionately and confidently delivered, and the lyrics match that energy and vibe. It’s an empowering listen of cathartic feelings shared. Perhaps you’ll feel the same way, listener! I hope that Luke creates more rock music in the future and brings the same group of excellent musicians with her. They work perfectly together, creating some wonderful jams and tunes that will leave you wanting to listen again and again. Devil at My Heels is an album that is rock forward with exquisite violin playing. Which hopefully while you read that description of genre, you’re not scared away. You shouldn’t be. Hopefully it intrigues you enough to listen. After doing so, you may wonder if you’re hearing violin or guitar. Luke’s vocals match the rhythms which are anchored by Gritschacher’s drums, Maybury’s guitar and bass guitar from Gorodetsky. The compositions are wonderfully crafted, and the violin adds more depth and richness to the sounds of each song than other instruments would have in a more “common/traditional” arrangement. Most of the time, the melodies are full band, but there are moments with less instrumentation which are equally well crafted and pleasing to the ears. The sonic quality and production are top notch. Kudos production team.
The album’s opener, “Long Live Rock N Roll” serves us a rock and roll dish heavy on blues. It’s brief but incredible offering, drums, screaming guitars and a brief march. The listener knows what they are getting into now.
The titular track “Devil at My Heels featuring Orianthi” introduces you to Luke’s powerful vocals and offers a rock forward melody with consistently great drum work from Gritschacher, some ear bending solos and lead guitar in general from Maybury along with solid bass guitar grooves from Gorodetsky. Luke goes ham on the violin during her solos as well, in the best ways putting her musicianship on full display. Luckily, we know there’s more of that to follow. The lyrics explore dating someone that maybe you shouldn’t.
The next song, “Other Side” features Luke delivering more sultry vocals. A delivery that matches the intent of the lyrics as the melody builds and eventually gains rhythm. There’s a earworm worthy chorus before Luke exclaims with enthusiasm and then the vocal delivery returns to one that is sultrier, matching the original vibe. The violin, drums and guitar playing on this song again, are beautiful. All of which are well paired with the lyrics throughout the melodic changes and shifts in the song. The violin screams in the outro. What a way to end.
The intro with a hard charging rock rhythm plants you into firmly into the first couple rows of a rock show during the song, “Yeah Yeah Yeah” in the best ways. The guitars groove and that melody carries forward as you dance along to it. You might head bang even. You don’t need Metal to head bang. The guitar solo a little more than halfway into the song, from Maybury, shimmers. Truly. A work of art. Gritschacher’s drum work leads into melodic shifts smoothly and Luke’s vocals and lyrics entice your forward.
The next song, “Save Me” has Luke pleading for better treatment within her lyrics. The level of treatment one should expect from another. The confident lyrics are delivered so passionately. The rhythm is a bit quieter with this song. There’s still tight musicianship but quieter in sound in a way that allows Luke’s vocals to shine and resonate even more.
“Burn (featuring Nili Brosh)” is a Deep Purple cover. “Burn” is not a song of Deep Purple’s that I’m super familiar with. So, I listened to the titular track of the 1974 album of the same name, again. The original has what you’d expect. A perfect 70s sound with Jon Lord’s organ and synth shining, Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar licks and both David Coverdale’s lead vocals and harmonies and Glenn Hughes’ harmonies during the chorus and lead vocals during the bridge. The modern cover? This version rocks as well. Perhaps more so due to Luke’s vocals. Her tone packs more of a punch than the original. And the harmonies do some great lifting as well. The guitarwork is similar. And the inclusion of violin over organ and synth add to that punch in the best ways. A truly modern take. Kudos to the musicianship and composition choices here.
“Leading Lady” has Luke being even more assertive in her lyrics and vocal delivery than “Save Me” as the confidence is turned up a notch further. Her confidence is paired some rollicking melodies from the guitar and drums and a lovely bass groove to sprinkle the cherry on top.
“Woman I Wanted To Be” features Luke at her most vulnerable so far, reflective of her past and present. The violin adds to the bittersweetness and pairs well with the lyrics and Luke’s heartfelt vocal delivery. Drums are present and anchor the rhythm, but the lack of guitar is fitting within this composition. The refrains within the choruses reinforce the emotion of the song. Listener, how did this song make you feel?
More violin is on showcase during “Woman I Wanted To Be Interlude” as Luke once again shows off her mastery.
“Do You Close Your Eyes” has a return to rock and roll melody right out of the gate. The band carries the at times, blues infused melody fantastically throughout the song. Luke’s lyrics ask a poignant and important question she wants answered.
Within “No Fire Burning” Luke’s repetitive lyrics drive home the sentiment, and her vocals are perhaps her best on the album. At least the most impassioned, dig claws into your ears and heart, stick with you type of vocal delivery in the past few songs. Gritschacher’s drum work is at a good pace, working in synch with Luke’s violin creating a wonderful melody.
The next song, “Nothing Less” sees the melody return to a full band sound. The lyrics and mood are magnificently defiant. It’s a song in which, once again, the entire band of Gritschacher, Gorodetsky, Maybury and Luke radiate talent.
“Dark Angel Interlude” much like “Woman I Wanted To Be Interlude” provides the listener a break from the full band and allows Luke to create extraordinary sounds from her violin. It leads very well into the next song as intended.
“Dark Angel” slowly builds in sound with organ serving as the foundation of this melody. The vocals are again delivered with a lot of passion, and the lyrics seem to accept fate. Around two-thirds into the song, Luke gets on violin to give the listener an amazing solo.
The final song on the album, “No Matter What” is Ginny Luke’s cover of the legendary Badfinger original released in late 1970. A song that cemented the power pop genre before critics and historians called it power pop. It’s a tale of deep, endless love. Luke’s version offers a modern usage of fuzzy guitar, heavy drums, and intentionally distorted vocal delivery. I didn’t expect that from Luke but to me it works. It’s not quite Dinosaur Jr level of fuzz or sledge but it’s on the way. This version is definitely their own take and also sounds completely different than previous songs on this album. They even included the notorious (brief) false ending in. The lyrics somehow wrap up the previous tales of romance and relationships within this album.
Devil at My Heels gets 4.5 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. Yes. To be more specific, low range within 4.5 Scum Drops rating territory. If you’ve been here a while, thank you. You know that rating includes all 2024 releases. Low range would be the 84th-87th percentile of all 2024 releases. There’s a hell of a lot to like within this album. It’s an awesome solo vocal debut. Don’t believe the naysayers, a violin is no gimmick. Luke is super talented and can not only create compositions but also craft lyrics and incredible vibes, themes. Excellent cast of musicians too. The amount of energy the band brought leads me to believe these songs would play incredibly well at a live show. I think this sound would best be experienced on vinyl if they press it. If they don’t definitely add to your collection, digitally or any format you can!
Devil at My Heels Track listing [song length]
- Long Live Rock N Roll [0:17]
- Devil at My Heels (featuring Orianthi) [3:20]
- Other Side [3:38]
- Yeah Yeah Yeah [2:54]
- Save Me [3:51]
- Burn (featuring Nili Brosh) [5:46]
- Leading Lady [3:22]
- Woman I Wanted To Be [4:39]
- Woman I Wanted To Be Interlude [1:23]
- Do You Close Your Eyes [3:58]
- No Fire Burning [4:04]
- Nothing Less [4:06]
- Dark Angel Interlude [0:56]
- Dark Angel [3:35]
- No Matter What [3:31]
Total runtime: 50:20
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety. The process with Devil at My Heels from start to finish will take you 50 minutes. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
Ginny Luke’s website is linked here, along with her active Instagram, Facebook page, and her Spotify. You can find the rest of her socials on her website along with merch!
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
