Ruthie Foster: The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster

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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."