Ruthie Foster
Texas platters
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., July 23, 2004
Ruthie Foster
Stages (Blue Corn)Ruthie Foster's 2002 release, Runaway Soul, was an unexpected and undeniable success. It introduced the San Marcos-based singer-songwriter to an international audience that was surprised to discover it wasn't her first collection of material. After its release, Foster toured nonstop, overwhelming audiences with her vocal ability and a sweet combination of blues, gospel, and folk at every stop, which means a live album makes a lot of sense at this point in her career. Stages is a definitive compilation of Foster's stage set, cobbled from performances at the venerable folk clubs Passim in Boston (with her partner Cyd Cassone), Anderson Fair in Houston (with a band), and here in Austin at St. David's Episcopal Church (with Will Taylor's Strings Attached). Covered is a remarkable range of styles, each one inhabited with a rare amount of grace and soul. Naturally, there are crowd pleasers from Runaway Soul like "Walk On" and "Ocean of Tears," but Foster branches out with a jazzy rendition of "God Bless the Child" and a reggaefied original, "Real Love," which interpolates Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster" to good effect. She veers a little too close to singer-songwriter self-absorption with the atmospheric "Get Out of My Way," yet as a whole, Stages captures Foster's ability to raise passions in a crowd with an uplifting message, and there's nothing here her fans will tire of anytime soon.