RUTHIE FOSTER – LET IT BURN

Ruthie Foster’s latest album is, if nothing else, an interesting one. Enlisting the help of the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama, Let It Burn sees a few Foster originals placed between an eclectic selection of covers – Johnny Cash, Black Keys, Los Lobos and even Adele are given the blues/gospel treatment. The rich vocal harmonies from the Blind Boys, together with the churning rock organ which accompanies each track, help to give the album a distinctly edgy sound and differentiate it from countless other B-grade bar-blues collectives. Nevertheless, some covers work better than others. Foster’s version of the uncredited spiritual Titanic serves as the album’s glorious high point – a largely a Capella rendition fittingly recorded 100 years after the ship’s sinking in 1912. However, her  ersion of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain is rendered pointless due to its unwavering similarity to the original. On the other hand, the lack Keys’ Everlasting Light is stripped of the gritty texture that made it so vital in the first place. Thankfully, Foster’s heavy-hearted vocal performances make up for anything that would otherwise be deemed inferior to the original tunes. In short, think of Let It Burn as a better-than-average blues covers album.

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