Arts/Music: CD Review
Ruthie Foster
The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster
Blue Corn Music
Review by Bill Wahl
Texan Ruthie Foster has come out with her fifth album since her self-released 1997 debut. Her latest is titled The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, and the title alone is going to stir up some “let’s just see if you can live up to it” feelings right off the bat. After the second song, I couldn’t figure what the hoopla is about. Good, but certainly nothing incredibly outstanding. Then the third cut began and it was like blasting off in a rocket...yet she was singing Lucinda Williams’ blues-ballad “Fruits of My Labor.”
Following up with songs by Son House and Sister Rosetta Tharpe before delivering three originals (including the outstanding “Harder than the Fall”) and an Eric Bibb penned cut...the rest of the album is absolutely fantastic. And, near the end you find out where the album’s title came from: the song “Phenomenal Woman,” with words by poet/author/activist Dr. Maya Angelou. Ruthie mixes it up with blues, soul and R&B and does it all equally well. She’s got a fantastic voice she can deliver anywhere from a whisper to a scream, and plays guitar and piano.
Unless actually intended as “foreplay,” the producer probably should have left the first two tracks off, or perhaps placed them somewhere else. The rest of the album is so good it would have been plenty long enough for a totally satisfying listen at a tidy 40 minutes. If you go the iTunes way, you may want to just download tracks 3-11. If you buy the CD, start with track three and visit the first two later. Either way, this one is most highly recommended.
Check out Ruthie’s complete tour schedule and purchase her CD at www.ruthiefoster.com.
Bill Wahl is the Founder and Editor of Jazz & Blues Report magazine. This review appears courtesy of Jazz & Blues Report. Visit them on the web at www.jazz–blues.com.
