GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster has released her highly-anticipated ninth studio album Healing Time via Blue Corn Music. The multiple Blues Music Award winner has also shared the official video for “Don’t Want To Give Up On You,” an irresistible slice of vintage R&B and soul, available to watch here. On Healing Time, Foster offers a much-needed musical balm for the times we live in and a dedicated love letter to her fans.
Watch the Official Video for “Don’t Want To Give Up On You”
Healing Time has already garnered praise from press including PopMatters, No Depression, Folk Alley, Glide Magazine, RIFF Magazine and Rock and Blues Muse who declared this as “an album that gives off an overwhelming feeling of love and freedom … As always with Ruthie Foster, all you need to do is push ‘Play’ and get out of her way. She will put your pieces back together.” Foster’s new album finds her pushing her boundaries as a singer and songwriter more than ever before in her 25-year-career – creating a truly live-sounding atmosphere with the help of her band, who sound refreshingly loose and lived-in throughout this 12-song collection.
On Healing Time, Foster enlisted previous collaborators like Gary Nicholson (Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal) and Grace Pettis to pitch in as well as every member of her band. Sonically, her band also played a large role in recreating the timeless sound that she was drawn to after spending time with her vinyl collection as showcased on highlights like the effervescent “Soul Searching” and the gospel-influenced “Feels Like Freedom”. Collaborating with powerhouse producers Mark Howard (Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams) and Dan Barrett, who also worked on Foster’s Joy Comes Back, these new songs coalesced at Adrian Quesada’s (Black Pumas) famed Electric Deluxe studio in Austin, Texas. Along with several members of the Black Pumas, Barrett brought in a collection of Austin’s finest backing musicians like Glenn Fukunaga (The Chicks, Shawn Colvin).
Healing Time is filled to the brim with the type of love, wisdom and life experience that only a veteran artist like Foster can serve up effortlessly, hitting home every time with her resonant signature voice. It’s safe to say that everyone has been in need of some healing during recent times, and her latest provides a guide for how to move through the world with equal parts compassion and resolve.
Ruthie Foster is currently on tour including an album release show at Austin’s Paramount Theatre tomorrow, November 19 where she will be honored with a star on the sidewalk of the historic venue, becoming only the sixth artist to do so and joining icons including Lyle Lovett and Delbert McClinton. A full list of tour dates can be found below and tickets are available at ruthiefoster.com.
Ruthie Foster Tour Dates:
Nov. 19 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
Dec. 2 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
Dec. 3 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
Dec. 15 – Sacramento, CA – The Sofia
Dec. 16 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse
Jan. 28 – Feb. 4 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
Feb. 10 – St. Louis, MO – Voices of Mississippi
Feb. 11 – Overland Park, KS – Voices of Mississippi
March 4 – Needham, MA – Needham Town Hall
March 11 – Hopkins, MN – Hopkins Center for the Arts
March 30 – Corsicana, TX – The Palace Theatre
April 1 – Marshall, TX – Memorial City Hall Performance Center
Healing Time Tracklist:
1) Soul Searching
2) Lie Your Way to the Truth
3) What Kind of Fool
4) I Was Called
5) Paradise
6) Don’t Want to Give Up on You
7) Healing Time
8) For You
9) Love Is the Answer
10) Finish Line
11) Feels Like Freedom
12) 4 AM
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