Heather Luttrell

Heather Luttrell may have a little more soul in her bluesy voice at her Hendershot’s show Friday night. The 33-year-old has reason to celebrate.

Last week, Luttrell signed with Redglare Records, an Atlanta-based label that will back her next album release in the spring. Luttrell already has been working on the record and plans to squeeze a few of its songs into her set list.

“It’s music for the thinking drunk,” Luttrell said. “It’s also known as blues, Americana and folk.”

The music also is a family affair. Luttrell plays and sings with her father, Ralph Luttrell, who builds and plays resonator guitars.

“It’s awesome to be together, except I’m burned out on Applebee’s,” she said. “Dad loves to eat at Applebee’s everywhere we go.

“But we have a great father-daughter bond that few performers have.”

The Redglare deal is just the latest stroke of fortune the carrot top has come across.

She’s opened for everyone from Zac Brown to Ryan Adams, made it onto the reality TV show, “Rock Star: INXS,” and has become a regular on the Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd cruises.

“The Skynyrd cruise was a real game-changer for me,” she said. “Being that up-close and personal with the fans, you get to know them and they get to know you. A lot of people I’ve met on those have become fans for life.”

Luttrell hopes to win over a few more. The record deal could go a long way.

— Joe VanHoose, Staff - Athens Banner-Herald

(On Rockstar: INXS) One 27 year old Atlantan Heather Luttrell rocked hard, but was eliminated in the fourth round. The red-headed singer, whose father owns Luttrell Guitars in Decatur, has already gained a growing following all over the Southeast. She has performed with Elton John and Angie Aparo, and OutKast has sampled her vocals. - Georgia Music Magazine

Heather Luttrell’s father, Ralph, makes some of the prettiest resonator guitars I’ve ever seen, and he plays them just as well alongside his daughter on stage. He plays it like the Dobro that Curtis Lowe would have played if Curtis Lowe was real.

But Ralph Luttrell’s resonator was only the second best instrument on the Hendershot’s stage last weekend. His daughter’s voice took the top award.

Luttrell’s show may be the most soul-on-a-stage you can buy for $3. Her closing songs — an a cappella number and a rendition of “Georgia On My Mind” that made me wish I was a native — showed just how much power she still had after two one-hour sets.

She held her final note for what seemed like 45 minutes. It was so deep and dripping with soul that even a table full of loud talkers went silent.

Luttrell’s substance in her original songs matched her style. She sang a song she wrote to try to make her younger sister cry. She wrote one for a friend who dated a guy for six years, finally married him and divorced him a month later. She wrote a rather unflattering tune about a guy who kept pushing her to write a song about him.

“That’s what happens when you follow someone around for four years begging her to write you a song,” she said. “You’re probably not going to like what you get.”

Her song about the devil’s 15-year-old daughter crashing a Southern Baptist party made me snicker. Her song about “sweet forgiveness” was worth the price of admission alone.

There was something about Luttrell that made me think of Bonnie Raitt. Perhaps it was the distance her voice could walk. Maybe it was her cover of a Chris Smither song — Raitt and Smither had a long working relationship.

Anyway, the Raitt comparison is about the highest compliment I can pay. Actually, I’ll go a step further — I’d like to see Luttrell sing again. - Athens Banner-Herald

On Grits n’ Pulp, Heather lets her real Southern-girl roots show. The album opens with a bluesy a cappella cover of Randy Newman’s “Guilty” that gave me chills. And that’s only the beginning. Throughout the rest of the album, Heather’s powerful voice never falters, mixing the stripped-down folksiness of Ani Difranco with the strength and soul of old-time rhythm-and-blues. Here’s one woman who doesn’t need an overpowering band or a celebrity stylist to make her look good. Her voice sells itself. From rockin’ and fun to soulful and contemplative, Heather’s personality—as well as her amazing talent—always shines through. - Nights & Weekends