UMC.org Music Reviews
Label: Blue Corn
Sound/Style: Organic, gospel-informed blues and folk mix
By Steve Morley
UMC.org—The Austin, Texas-based singer Ruthie Foster likes to remind her fans that she, like soul queen Aretha Franklin and R&B shouter Etta James, came to the mainstream via the Church. The symbiotic link between Foster and singers like Franklin and Mahalia Jackson isn’t limited to their common Christian origins, either. She’s an emotive and soulful belter who, despite her popularity on the folk festival circuit, shows clear R&B and gospel influences. Her fifth release, The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, is the first to focus on a full-blooded soul-styled presentation. On the outspoken track “Heal Yourself,” she comes closest to finding her inner Aretha, taking aim at a society going through the motions of respectability and trying to hide from the horror of current events: "Taught to work to please/ And pray on your knees/ You pay for your cheap grace with your nominal fees/ Now you try to change the news on your TV remote/ Got the freedom to choose but you choose not to vote/ You better heal yourself, child.”
The disc’s other notably sassy offering, “Phenomenal Woman,” is a confident and high-heeled ode to femininity. Poet Maya Angelou’s text holds back little in the way of anatomical detail, but the intent isn’t coarse or narcissistic. Rather, the track celebrates and affirms the fullness of womanhood in a world that remains male-dominated in spite of moves toward gender equality in some cultures.
The tenderly autobiographical “Mama Said” is a rustic country blues that also champions the strength of women by revealing the role of the artist’s mother in her spiritual as well as personal development: “Child, you’ve been looking for an education – ain’t nothing wrong with that now/ Girl you better fall on your knees before you fall in the wrong direction.”
Foster’s generally sturdy originals are nestled between numbers by venerable names like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Mississippi bluesman Son House. House’s “People Grinnin’ in Your Face” addresses insincerity and perhaps the veneer of religiosity, though it functions well overall as a defense against thinly veiled prejudice. Foster tackles this one with no accompaniment save for the clapping hands and stomping feet of the slave-era worksong, punctuating the song’s lament that “a good friend is hard to find.”
Her sensitive interpretation of blues and gospel stylist Eric Bibb’s “A Friend Like You” provides a balm for the former track’s frustrations as it describes a steadfast companion who becomes increasingly Christ-like as the song unfolds. The lack of a clearly indicated deity doesn’t detract from the spiritual quality of the relationship detailed within, a reminder that a faithful friend is indeed a sacred gift: “When I’m lost out in the dark/ You’re the bright light shining through/ You’re my anchor/ My hope, my new day/ Through the stormy nights ahead/ I’ll be counting on you/ To keep me strong come what may/ A friend like you, everyone should have.”
Her take on Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head” transplants the 20th century spiritual into a syncopated groove strongly reminiscent of The Staple Singers’ 1972 hit, “I’ll Take You There”: “All over the world, there’s music in the air/ I really do believe/ Must be Heaven somewhere.”
The fusion is appropriate, as Sister Tharpe and The Staples were both capable of tailoring their music for mainstream ears while retaining a gospel fervency that communicated the stuff of the spirit in no uncertain terms. Foster, for all her strengths, has yet to achieve their level of transcendence. Still, her vocally impressive and vibe-saturated The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster is a credible attempt at unifying pain, beauty and fear with the hope of glory.
Audio Clips
"Cuz I'm Here"
"Heal Yourself"
"Fruits of My Labor"
"People Grinnin' In Your Face"
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