August is stuffed with outstanding blues releases. Keb’ Mo’ makes a couple of appearances, with a stripped-down acoustic album The Breakdown, as well as on the Morgan Freeman-curated Symphonic Blues Experience. Ruthie Foster is as magnificent as ever on her latest outing, Just Say Yes, on Sun records. Mark Hummel dishes out more of his hard core road band blues on Road Dog, and Antone's presents another chapter in their blues history with Chicago Bound, a spillover from last year’s Antone's’ 50 Years Of The Blues box set.
Ruthie Foster-Just Say Yes, August 28
Ruthie Foster's latest, Just Say Yes, is yet another master class in magnificence. “Music is my life,” Foster says in a trailer for the new record and goes on to prove that on cuts like the gospel drenched “Hold On,” putting her life into her lyrics. Wherever you drop in, Foster takes you to church. “Reachin'” shows you can dance a second line in church while reaching out to worshipers on both sides of the aisle. She's mellow and introspective on what she says is her most personal album to date. It's full of life-affirming testimonials like “Take Time:” “You won't ever get an answer if you never ask the question.” The lyrics bind you closer to her, but her voice is what seals the deal, a gorgeous instrument Foster uses to reach into your heart and warm it up as she bares her soul.
