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Review of September 6th Ruthie Foster show at The Thirsty
Parrott
By Thom Rogers
Phenomenal!!!
Ruthie Foster had the house in the palm of her hand by the end
of her fantastic show Thursday night at the Thirsty Parrot. Singing from the heart and connecting with
her audience, she delivered a near religious experience. I doubt you have ever seen an entertainer
exchange energy with her audience the way Ruthie did.
The show kicked off with a 10-song set from Jim Adam, owner of
local venue Jimbo’s Take Two. About half
of his set came from his new CD, Rock
Island Line, including originals as well as gems from the catalogs of Jimmy
Reed, Robert Johnson, and Bill Withers.
He played all 3 of his guitars, explaining, “I tuned ‘em all
and I’m gonna play ‘em all.” He invited
local keyboard genius John Stilwagen on stage for his final 3 songs and
finished out the set with ‘Big Boss Man’, ‘Built for Comfort’, and ‘The Chicken
Song’. Jim’s skill at storytelling,
emotional singing and the honest musicianship of his acoustic guitar with that
right hand thumping bass while strumming were the perfect appetizer for
Ruthie’s upcoming show.
I had been waiting to see Ruthie with her band ever since
January and I wasn’t disappointed.
Striding onstage with a smile that could light the city, she adjusted
her Taylor acoustic and invited John Stilwagen back for her entire two
set show. She and John met in January on
the blues cruise where he sat in with her for virtually the entire week,
earning the coveted ‘Jamminest Cruiser’ award by the end of the trip.
Touring in support of her latest CD, The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, she led off with a rousing version of
Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s ‘Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In the Air)’. John’s solo on that opener signaled that he
had come to play, bringing immediate applause from the crowded room. Explaining that she liked to mix “my blues
with my gospel”, she launched in to a groove-laden “My Soul’s Found a Happy
Home” and then followed that up with a tune she wrote to honor Sam Cooke, “Another
Rain Song”.
While truly gifted as a songwriter, Ruthie is more than happy
to showcase other writer’s talents as shown by her interpretation of Lucinda
Williams’ “Fruits of My Labor”. As
her set continued to build, the audience could see the appreciation she had for
what John was adding to the show. She
smiled, gave him extended time, urging him on during his soaring solos. You could tell she was enjoying the keyboard
work every bit as much as the rest of us.
Her band was totally in the pocket the entire night. Tanya Richardson on bass and Samantha
Banks on drums showed their versatility, with Samantha playing spoons (the
perfect rhythmic accompaniment) as Ruthie sang Mississippi John Hurt’s
‘Richly Woman Blues.’ The highlight of
the first set was a version of Bob Marley’s ‘Real Love’, which brought
the crowd to its feet. Her powerful
voice sustained one note nearly forever as the band provided the classic reggae
underpinning for what turned into an anthem.
The excitement in the room after that song was almost too much to bear.
She finished out the set as the dance floor filled and swayed
to ‘Death Came A-Knockin' (Travelin' Shoes)’.
Everybody needed a release after the energy of that first set.
She returned after a short intermission and again led off with
a song from the new CD. This time it was
a song she had written about her mother, called ‘Mama Said’. She then moved to the keyboard as she
explained that piano was her original instrument, prior to guitar. She then treated us to a rousing version of
‘Phenomenal Woman’, a poem of Maya Angelou’s set to music by Amy Sky and
David Pickell. You could tell by
her introduction that this is the tune that is becoming known as Ruthie’s
song.
Throughout the show, the power and raw emotion of her voice
gained strength. Her voice needs to be
heard to be believed (and even then it’s hard to believe). She sings with so much soul and energy that
the entire audience is moved and feels personally connected to the singer.
After her stint at the keys, John returned and she introduced
the next song as a song of celebration – launching into a rhumba-influenced
version of ‘My Mind is Set on Freedom’’.
She quieted things down by following up with ‘Beaver Creek Blues’.
Her show is a positive affirmation of life, with themes of
celebration, family, healing, and hope.
She gave us a gut wrenching version of ‘Heal Yourself’ and then in response to a shouted request,
‘Hole in My Pocket’, which had the crowd singing along. The last set ended with a song of perseverance
and faith, ‘Walk On’ – performed by many, but rarely this personally.
The crowd would not let her go and she came back for a two song
encore - the first a dreamy, languid version of ‘Oh, Susanna’ with only Tanya
on stage playing a fiddle as Ruthie played guitar and sang. She politely told a fan that this was
‘something I have to do’.
She returned to reggae for her final encore as she played the Vincent
Ford classic, ‘No Woman, No Cry’.
The dance floor was filled, as everyone sang the chorus - “Everything's
gonna be alright, everything's gonna be alright”. She stepped away from the microphone and sang
un-amplified to the dance floor, trading lines with the crowd. It was a perfect feel good ending to what was
an awesome show.
It wouldn’t be fair to conclude without acknowledging the
efforts of A Music Company Inc. and their numerous sponsors (KRCC, Pikes Peak
Blues Community, and others) for bringing such a quality show to Colorado Springs. Between the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Revue
in April, Candye Kane just last month, and now Ruthie Foster, the
quality of live music in the Springs has taken a leap forward. As a fan, I’m glad somebody cares enough to
make all this happen. Continuing the
tradition, an announcement was made from the stage that A Music Company is
bringing Tab Benoit back to town, at the Thirsty Parrot, on October 30.
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