At this point, Ruthie Foster had just released a refreshing, down-home blend of blues, folk and soul titled The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. Same here.
The Truth According to Ruthie Foster, issued on January 26, 2009, continued to showcase Foster’s ability to move around comfortably in a wide variety of rootsy genres. Six albums into her career, Foster was already in total command of blues (“Nickel and a Nail”), reggae (“I Really Love You”), gospel (“Joy On the Other Side”), and R&B (“Stone Love”).
The cherry on the top of this sundae is guest Robben Ford and his stupendous guitar. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to call Foster the female Taj Mahal and hopefully, the accolades accorded Mahal will continue to come her way, too.
Truth is, with her sturdy gospel voice and honest presentation of covers and originals alike, Foster has become one of the foremost female practitioners of roots music. The Truth According to Ruthie Foster was just one of the earliest albums to strengthen that claim.
- Tobias Meinhart – ‘Sonic River’ (2025) - April 22, 2025
- Ivo Perelman, with William Parker + Rashied Ali – ‘Sad Life’ (1996, 2025 reissue) - April 15, 2025
- Nels Cline – ‘Consentrik Quartet’ (2025) - March 31, 2025
