photo: Jody Domingue
For the first time in her illustrious career, Ruthie Foster is following up a Grammy-winning album. The Texas native and six-time Grammy nominee finally took home the well-deserved high honor in 2025 with a Best Contemporary Blues Album for Mileage. An album of widespread critical acclaim, it also marked Foster’s first creative partnership with producer Tyler Bryant, a Nashville-based Texan guitarist and leader of The Shakedown.
For her latest release, Just Say Yes, Foster teamed up again with Bryant, beginning with a ten-day writing session with the producer and his wife—Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell—then recording the album at Bryant’s newly christened Crosstie Studios. As well, Foster enlisted the help of Lovell’s sibling bandmate, Megan, and her husband, Mike Seal, to track the ten-song effort loaded with an eclectic mix of blues, gospel, soul, and rock. The scintillating new LP is an inspired follow-up to Mileage, burnished with personal revelations and positive intent.
On the first Friday in September, from her home just outside Austin, Texas, Foster spoke to us about the renewed collaboration, the muse of spirit, and the power of yes.
Firstly, congratulations on the Grammy for Mileage. What were you feeling?
Surprised, for sure. Elated. And validated, really. There’s something really validating about getting recognized that way. To be in such great company. I know all of the nominees. Each year I’ve been nominated, I’ve known all of them. I still remember running into Shemekia Copeland on the red carpet, a couple of albums before, at the Grammys in Los Angeles. Giving each other waves good-luck. To come full circle, you know, with the girls from Larkin Poe winning one year, and to have them on this album is huge. It’s been like a whirlwind every year that I am lucky enough to be nominated. Like, wow, that happened. To be nominated in this category is, as my kid used to say, hunormous.
For Just Say Yes, was it an obvious decision to work again with Tyler?
I think we both just came together and saw the success of Mileage and came to the same conclusion at the same time. Hey, let’s try it again. He knew that I had a lot of other things that I wanted to say. He, and Rebecca and Megan, are great about taking my rants- when I am sitting around in their kitchen or living room- and grabbing out of the air the things I say. We just kind of go from there. And, especially after Tyler decided to build his own studio, this incredible studio in their backyard, I really wanted a chance to get in there and expand on what we started with Mileage. I felt like we were just getting started.
You met the Lovell sisters prior to working with them, yes?
I met the girls on one of those blues cruises that are out there. They were in my songwriting circle. So, I got a chance to hang with them then. And, at a couple of other festivals, I’d make sure I caught their show. I really liked what they were doing. Their strength, and how they’re two women, up front, giving it everything. There’s such joy in what they’re doing.
What about Tyler?
I was introduced to Tyler through a YouTube video I saw during COVID. I found out he was from Paris, Texas. Paris is very different. Very small. East Texas. Hearing the way he played slide, I got myself familiar with his back [catalog]. When he would play slide by himself, I thought, this white boy is playing like an old black man. Where did he get that style from? He did show me pictures of him with this black man that basically taught him to play guitar. It was his first mentor. I heard that in his playing. His story. Later, my management told me about this guy, Tyler Bryant. I didn’t put it together that it was the same guy and that he was married to one of the ladies from Larkin Poe. So, it just kind of happened organically.
From what I can tell from meeting all three of them, they each have a deep respect for the music, the traditions, the history.
Absolutely. I got a chance to hang out with Rebecca’s mom. You see where it comes from.
As collaborators, do you direct them as to where you want to go? Or do they bring you to where you want to go? Who’s driving this train?
It’s a little bit of both. They’re really good at picking up on what I’m saying. Tyler, especially, coming from East Texas, where I was born. He gets me. He gets that thing about having something to say. My being raised by old people, by my grandparents. My mother was around, definitely, and was a huge influence, too. Tyler gets the way of talking that I have. So, they were definitely conductors on the train. I throw what I can in the freight cars. And, then when it comes time to recording, I add a little something-something, throwing my voice down, when I’m in front of the microphone. Then, we expand again with different background vocals. They’re great with expanding.
What is it about East Texas that shows up in the music?
East Texas has sections of piney woods. Beautiful and green. And it has this red clay in certain areas. A lot of lakes and places to go fishing. It’s got that rural sense. It’s a village that raises you. I still remember going to school and if I got into trouble, everybody knew before I got home. It was that kind of thing. With the music, you have that Louisiana flair coming in. Definitely gospel music. There’s country music. Blues, for sure. Where I was born, in Mineola, is just down the road from where T-Bone Walker was born. His music is all through that area. It’s family. It’s church. It’s definitely a community.
There are several times on the record when I feel like you’re speaking to that community, telling them who you are, maybe even rebelling against it.
You’ve got that, spot-on. Yeah. And that has come with time. I’ve done a little bit of living. And I recognized that. Relationships come and go, on top of that. And, yeah, I was feeling myself a little bit. It’s knowing where I am. Coming to this place where I know what I don’t want has been huge for me. That may be what you’re picking up on in this album. In a song like, “Thank You,” it’s not just giving out thanks to folks who recognize who I am, what I do, or where I’ve been. It’s me basically saying I’m where I know I need to be. I deserve to be here. I worked hard to be here. Despite the hate motivators.
From where were you feeling hate?
That comes from people telling me I’m not necessarily blues. I’m fine to say that. I was raised on so many different genres. That’s what you hear in my music. I don’t call myself a blues singer. Other people call me a blues singer because that’s the bulk of what I do. I think I’m very much a gospel singer, underneath it all. Stylistically, anyway. My music comes from spirit, not religion. From knowing who I am. And really, hopefully, giving other people permission to do the same. This album, really, is about moving forward. Mileage was about looking back at my life, what I’ve done, where I was at that period. This is very much moving forward, for me.
Part of reflecting, and then moving forward comes from having the experiences to begin with. Tell me about how valuable your life experiences are for you as an artist.
Experience has been the whole ride. It still is. It never really stops, and that’s been a revelation for me. Every day is an opportunity for me to try and live my best life. A lot of things my grandmother used to say to me I’m actually living. I’m expressing it. I’m getting to say, ‘You were right, big momma.’ This is one ride. I’m just trying to hang on.
How is that different from when you were younger?
Yesterday, I had a big day of promos, an in-store, and TV. The younger Ruthie would have clamped down and not communicated with anybody for a while. I’d have been nervous, trying to focus on doing it right, spending a lot of brain power making sure the songs were right. The Ruthie right now got up, had a leisurely breakfast, got to the TV station and relaxed in my chair. I was even recognized by another person on the TV program. A poet laureate who was here in Austin. To be recognized like that, the younger Ruthie wouldn’t have appreciated that as much. But, now, because I’m owning my power, owning my phenomenal-ness, I was able to be present with this woman, and have a real conversation. And ask her about how her day was going, why she was there. It’s so much more enjoyable.
How does that awareness affect your songwriting?
When I’m working with the songsmiths, which is what I call Tyler and Rebecca, they’re just great when it comes to words for songs. I love people who are well-read. That comes across when I talk to them. I can pour into the songs a lot more easily now. They relate to where I am in my life.
This album is essentially co-written. What’s the key to success for you on a co-write?
It’s changed over the years. I didn’t co-write much in my beginning years because it was big and scary for me to be that vulnerable. But, now, I don’t have a problem with that. You do have to be brave about putting your ideas in that circle. It’s almost like being in the classroom, and you have the answer but you’re too scared to raise your hand. This is about raising your hand. Putting it out there. And, it is a blend. Because everybody in the circle has a strength. It’s about pulling people’s strengths. And these are really strong writers, for sure. They push me to be a better writer. That’s what has happened with these two particular albums.
What about in performance?
I’m more present. Even before I go on the stage. I spend a certain amount of time prepping, doing what I can to make sure the songs for the setlist on that particular night say what I want to say. I want to be real when I’m standing in front of people. I want this to be an experience for them, and for me, too. Every audience is so different. I feed off of that. And, I’ll diverge from the setlist a lot. I’ll take us on a ride. That’s the kind of stuff I wake up every morning and hope to experience. And, I get that validated when I’m at the merch table and get a chance to hug someone who is standing there in tears. Who didn’t expect to be moved that way tonight. They just thought they were coming to see a show, and they had a real experience that related to their lives.
Were you not seeing that before?
I don’t think I noticed it.
So, what changed?
My own life. Having things happen to me and surviving it. In this music world, we know how fast-paced it is. You can be convinced that you can’t outlive it. You’re not going to live that long. The way we travel, we can stack two to five years in one year. We’re doing so much in one album cycle. I’m out here as a student of life, learning so much about myself. That’s what I am trying to pour into the music and share with people.
What is the significance of the album’s title?
It comes from a Post-It note I carried around with me. I’d taken a break from music to get my life together. Music wasn’t making me money. I had to go get day jobs, do what I needed to do. I put that note up in my house to remind me to say yes to opportunity when it came to music. The more I said yes to an opportunity, even if it didn’t pay, the more opportunities would come to me. That’s how I got back into music. And stayed. It stuck this time. I truly believe that if you’re trying to make a shift in your life, one little thing, even a little mantra to remind yourself, and your brain kind of clicks.
The title reminds me of an era in the 1980s when our culture was encouraged to just say no. Is this a wink to that, or just coincidence?
Totally coincidental. I’d forgotten about that. And get this. I was in a D.A.R.E. band. [Laughs.]
Not unlike in the 1980s, I feel like we are in the midst of a ten-year period in this country when so many people in our society are hearing no, feeling no, feeling turned away or cast out. Did that play a role in any of your creative thoughts?
I think it is a part of it. I start every day, before I speak to anyone, in a meditation area. I start with meditation and prayer every day. That’s because I want to meet the world with a response, not a reaction. I want to respond from my center, not react to everything. I see people I love dearly, but they are not positive about anything. To me, you’re blocking the blessin’. And the lesson. You have to be open to something. Be willing.
Some of these lyrics feel like primers for any prospective romantic partners that may want to get to know you.
You got me. [Laughs.] I’m just putting it out there. Because I’ve learned a lot about myself. When you go in and out of relationships, as I have, you learn more about yourself than you do the other person. I’ve been doing some deep diving. Being on my own right now, I couldn’t be happier. I’m in here, learning, and out there, learning. About what I want and, more importantly, about what I don’t want. Let’s not waste time, person. Let’s get in there. I know who I am. I hope you know who you are, as well.
Going back to Mileage, where this collaboration began, how did that change your approach to making music, if at all?
Musically is where I grew. I dug in a little more when it came to being a guitar player. Tyler played just about everything on that album. So, here I was, having to learn it all so I can spit it back out to people live. I have such a great band. So, we were able to replicate those songs pretty closely to the album. I’m proud of that. It pushed me to be a better singer, a better storyteller, and definitely a better musician.
On this album, there seems to be an emphasis on what I would describe as big gospel rock. Blues, for sure. But, the gospel influence is just as prominent. Would you agree?
That’s something we concentrated on, musically. Some of it was organic. You’re hearing a lot of that gospel choir feeling, like on “Come On Up.”
Earlier in this conversation you made the distinction between spirit and religion. When you talk about a gospel influence, is it fair to say it’s gospel, with a lower-case g, rather than capital-G Gospel?
I grew up in a Christian household. But, I have experienced so many other ways to experience the spirit. I try not to mess with the religion side of things. I leave room for all. If religion makes you a better person, that’s great. But, it doesn’t make you better than someone else. That’s what drove me away from the church, that one religion is better than the other. That’s just not true. Gospel, for me, is about spirit. If it moves you to be a better person, I’m all for it. Let’s walk together.
