Contemporary Blues Grammy winner announces new album

Ruthie Foster has announced the release of her new studio album, Just Say Yes, arriving August 28 via Sun Records.

The Austin-based GRAMMY Award-winning artist also released the album’s lead single, “Thank You,” a blues, rock and gospel-infused track that explores feelings of imposter syndrome. The song reflects on Foster’s experiences being questioned about her authenticity as a blues artist despite earning widespread acclaim, including a GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.

“There’s a front door, but there’s also a window and back door. There’s ways to get in,” Foster says. “I never put any kind of constraints on myself. I’m showing up with all of this.”

Produced in Nashville by Tyler Bryant and co-written with Bryant and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe, Just Say Yes features 10 tracks that blend soul, roots and blues influences. The album follows Foster’s GRAMMY-winning album Mileage and arrives during a significant period of personal reflection and transition for the veteran singer-songwriter.

“I’m amazed at how I got to this place,” Foster says.

Foster’s path to success has spanned more than three decades. After serving in the U.S. Navy, she signed with a major label before stepping away from music in 1993 to care for her ill mother. Following her mother’s death, she returned to music as an independent artist and steadily built a career that ultimately led to GRAMMY recognition.

The title of the new album came from a simple reminder Foster wrote to herself.

“I wrote this thing on a sticky note and it just said ‘Just say yes,'” she recalls.

The album also arrives after Foster suffered a torn meniscus while running to catch a flight last year. She underwent knee surgery in December and says the experience forced her to reevaluate both her personal life and her approach to performing.

“It’s not just about age. It’s really about the miles I’ve put on,” she says. “Every step matters.”

Before undergoing surgery, Foster used a break from touring to spend a week recording in Nashville. She reunited with Bryant and Lovell, who also worked on Mileage, and expanded the sessions into a family affair with Megan Lovell and Mike Seal joining the project.

“Every last one of these songs are about some aspect of my life,” Foster explains.

As she worked on the album, Foster was navigating both physical recovery and uncertainty within her personal relationship. Those experiences became central themes throughout the project.

“This was my way of being true to who I am and knowing that I’m in yet another transition in my life, which is how these albums tend to happen,” she continues.

Track Listing

Thank You
Come on Up (featuring Larkin Poe)
Hold On
Yes
Take Time
Doubling Back
Tangled
Sitting Still
Maybe It Up
Reachin’

Tour Dates

June 5 – Burlington, VT – Burlington Jazz Festival
June 7 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Blues Festival
June 12 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theater
June 25 – Eugene, OR – The John G. Shedd Institute For The Arts
June 26 – Berkeley, CA – The Freight
June 27-28 – San Jose, CA – Fountain Blues & Brews Festival
June 28 – Nicasio, CA – Ruthie Foster BBQ On The Lawn
June 29 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center For The Arts
July 10 – Columbus, OH – Bicentennial Park
July 11 – Deadwood, SD – Deadwood Blues Festival
July 16-18 – Taos Pueblo, NM – She Rises International Women’s Music Festival
July 24 – South Park Township, PA – South Park Amphitheater
August 1 – Woodstock, NY – Sun Records Midnight Ramble
August 2 – Woodstock, NY – Sun Records Midnight Ramble
August 12-13 – Big Indian, NY – Catskills Crossroads Blues Camp
August 14 – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church
August 16 – Thornton, NH – White Mountain Boogie N’ Blues
August 20 – Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
August 21 – Plymouth, MA – Spire Center for the Performing Arts
August 22 – Falmouth, MA – Falmouth Academy
August 23 – Albany, NY – The Egg
August 25 – Okoboji, IA – Pearson Lakes Art Center
September 10-13 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender
September 13 – Cerritos, CA – Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts
September 15-19 – Nashville, TN – AmericanaFest
October 31-November 7 – San Diego, CA – The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
February 26-March 5, 2027 – Miami, FL – Cayamo