Ruthie Foster (from Healing Time

Ruthie Foster (from Healing Time

Ruthie Foster (from Healing Time available on Blue Corn Music) (by Lee Zimmerman)

When a Grammy-nominated artist releases a new record, it’s bound to attract attention. Nevertheless, regardless of her previous accolades — and there have been many — Ruthie Foster’s new album Healing Time deserves notice all on its own. It’s a searing, soaring expression of absolute resolve and resilience in the face of challenging times.
 
Certain songs bring the problem into focus. For example, the dramatic and dynamic “Lie Your Way to the Truth” is a seeming rebuke to those that claim election fraud and try to manipulate the facts to serve their own interests. However, most of the material takes a decidedly personal perspective, whether it’s the stoic spirituality shared through the riveting testimonial “I Was Called”, the drama and dynamic that surfaced in the explosive album opener “Soul Searching” or the title track, the optimistic and uplifting “Paradise”, or the unhurried pacing of “Don’t Want to Give Up on You”, an absolute declaration of Foster’s faith and devotion.
 
Of course, Ruthie Foster’s never at a loss when expressing her earnest emotion, and at a time when trouble and turbulence dominate the headlines and weigh on the universal psyche, her sentiments provide added impact. When she sings “Love Is the Answer” she offers a positive perspective that easily outshines the lingering feeling of sheer negativity, while bringing hope despite happenstance. Likewise, the drive and determination of “Finish Line” suggests that obstacles can be overcome given the desire to do so. Finally, there’s the upward view taken by the soulful serenade “Feels Like Freedom”. It conveys its message by bonding it with brotherhood and a desire to serve a common cause.
 
Credit is also due Foster’s continuing collaborators — Gary Nicholson, Anders Osborne, Grace Pettis, Glenn Fukunaga, members of Black Pumas, and her own backing band, among the many, all of whom serve ably under the able direction of producers Daniel Barrett and Mark Howard. Nevertheless, given the fact that Ruthie Foster is responsible for writing most of the material, one can hail Healing Time as a personal triumph in a career that’s spawned any number of embracing efforts. A clarion call for reckoning and reflection, it’s well worth heeding. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Ruthie Foster from AMAZON
 
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