Review: Ruthie Foster ‘Mileage’

Review: Ruthie Foster ‘Mileage’

By Hal Horowitz

Ask anyone who has experienced a Ruthie Foster show why she is not a huge star and you’ll get the same blank stare and quizzical look.

The Texas born and bred Foster has been routinely blowing away those at her concerts, some who have never heard of the veteran singer/songwriter, for decades. Her riveting, organic and charming stage presence along with a thrilling, commanding voice singing music that combines soul, gospel, reggae, blues, Americana and some jazz is that powerful.

But somehow, although she has made consistent career strides since appearing in the late 90s (including five Grammy nominations, numerous Blues Music awards, worldwide touring and a clutch of wonderful albums), Foster hasn’t been able to break through to a larger audience. Now at 60, she’s still at it with the superb Mileage that will be released August 23 via Sun Records, her tenth studio offering (she also has three terrific live ones).

It’s produced by multi-instrumentalist Tyler Bryant with songs co-written by him and Foster along with his wife, Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell. While Bryant, whose own albums with his Shakedown band lean to a harder-edged guitar rocking Americana, might not initially seem like a logical partner to help craft Foster’s diverse and soulful approach, the fantastic results belie that hesitation.

He frames Foster’s songs with appropriate instrumentation, each one “…a piece of my story, a reflection of where I’ve been and where I’m going” as she writes in the promotional notes. From the slinky swamp of bluesman Arthur Crudup’s (by way of Elvis Presley) “That’s All Right,” the disc’s lone cover, slowed down to feature her expressive, authoritative voice, to the forceful title track where she sings about her career (“I’m out here chasing every dream I’ve dreamed/I’ve earned who I am ‘cause I’ve seen…mileage), Foster and Bryant lock together, creating what might be her finest and surely most personal set yet.

All ten tunes jump out, wrapping you in the spiritually infused passion she regularly conjures live. Any one of the first four anthemic selections could be a sing-along closer to her joyous shows. She delivers the soul/blues “Heartshine” with reserved control until letting loose like a combination of Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples on the resounding chorus. It’s aided by religiously inspired support, singing “I’m taking that leap, I’m gonna be baptized” with enough emotion to power a few churches.

She goes full R&B for the stunning “Good for My Soul,” overdubbing herself on the gospel vocal backing as she sings to the back rows “You are the rock and you are the roll/When times get bad you are good for my soul” with a religious ferocity few other singers, in or outside of the church, can match.

The Lovell sisters (aka Larkin Poe) join Foster for the deep, stripped-down percussion-free Delta acoustic blues “Done.” The performance is genuine, moving, and this set’s rawest moment. It’s so effective you’ll want to hear an entire album with this brilliant and synergetic collaboration.

Tyler brings horns to raise the roof on the gospel rave-up “Slow Down” which, as its title implies, changes tempo to a measured blues for the closing minute. Bryant emphasizes Foster’s natural soul on the funky, brass-infused “Take It Easy” where she advises the listener to “get out of your way” and “… when you get rocked just roll… breathe it in, let it out slow/Take it easy, trust me I know.”

She has earned your confidence.

In just over half an hour, Foster and Bryant capsulize everything the singer has been doing for the past nearly three decades. If the magnificent Mileage doesn’t break her career open, it’s hard to know what will.

Regardless, Ruthie Foster will keep doing what she has always done; bringing authenticity and honesty to her roots oriented music while gaining more traction by uplifting and converting audiences one concert at a time.

If you’re not yet a fan, you will be soon.

Pre-order ‘Mileage’ Here

“Heartshine”