Ruthie Foster possesses a dynamic, soulful voice. Her vocals resemble those of great performers from similar churchy backgrounds who came before her, such as Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples. Foster’s latest album, Just Say Yes, has its share of gospel-inflected tunes, including the confessional tale of her own religious transformation, “Come on Up”, but the record contains no specific lyrical references to God or Jesus. Her truth is more ecumenical. We need to attend to our personal, spiritual selves and help others who may be stumbling along the way.
The title of Ruthie Foster‘s Just Say Yes functions as both invitation and philosophy. Across ten songs that blend blues, rock, soul, and country, Foster argues for an openness to life that embraces both spiritual reflection and earthly experience.
One could describe the album’s tone as joyful. There is something celebratory about the album as a whole, even on the songs with a more secular theme, such as the tales of love and lust like “Maybe It Up” and “Doublin’ Back”. Even then, Foster invokes the language of the church to express her desire: “Sweet mama make my wheels spin / Doubling back I’m in a fight that I just can’t win / Ain’t got a prayer, can’t even say ‘amen’ (amen).” The singer croons her tale of messy love in an affirmative manner. There is a transcendence in acceptance, whether it is in the Lord or in one’s relationship with another human being.
Tyler Bryant produced the record as he did on Foster’s Grammy-winning Mileage. The record is broadly credited as being written by Foster, Bryant, and Rebecca Lovell (lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Larkin Poe). It is unclear who is playing what on the individual tracks, as all three of these musicians have great guitar skills, but there are some wonderful licks on display, such as the jaunty syncopated strings on “Hold On”, the filigreed acoustic offerings on “Take Time”, and the crunchy electric rhythms of “Tangled”. Other contributing players include Megan Lovell, Mike Seal, Dominic Davis, Michael Webb, Kevin McGowan and Ben Satterlee. While Foster’s distinctive voice is the record’s most prominent feature, the instrumental work here is top-notch.
Just Say Yes mixes rock, country, soul and blues themes into that stew known as Texas music. You can hear echoes of Waylon Jennings, Guy Clark, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Willie Nelson—and even traces of Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin—contributing to the distinctly Texan musical gumbo. Foster continues their traditions by blending the different styles and letting the individual components stand on their own. The songs may be made from different ingredients but are stamped and filtered through Foster’s sensibilities. While a trio of talents may have co-created the record, every song is immediately identifiable as Foster’s because of her powerful vocals, even when she’s singing quietly. One can tell when she’s holding it deep in her throat even before she lets it out.
Ruthie Foster’s message is simple. The answer to fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt is not withdrawal but engagement. She advocates openness to experience and compassion toward others. Just Say Yes succeeds because its optimism is carried by a voice that remains one of the most expressive instruments in contemporary roots music today.