Event

Ruthie Foster & Paul Thorn

Those who have followed Ruthie Foster's eclectic musical history know that she can burn down any stage with her combustible blend of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel. And when Grammy Award-winning producer John Chelew suggested she record an album in New Orleans - with support handpicked from the Crescent City's overflowing pool of talent - it was an opportunity for Ruthie to infuse fresh spices into her already rich sonic gumbo. The result is Let It Burn - slated for January 31, 2012 release on Blue Corn Music - a recording that smolders, sizzles and ignites with an intensity born from her vibrant voice and indelible presence.

Paul Thorn has been pleasing crowds for years with his muscular brand of roots music - bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern, yet also speaking universal truths. The Tupelo, Mississippi native worked in a furniture factory, jumped out of airplanes, and was a professional boxer before sharing his experiences with the world as a singer-songwriter. <em>Pimps and Preachers, which topped the Americana charts for three weeks and broke into the Billboard Top 100, perfectly exemplified the vivid scope of his songwriting and illuminated his family background. While his father is a Church of God Pentecostal Minister, his uncle (his father's brother) spent time as a pimp, and Thorn was influenced by both of these men. Mining these "saint and sinner" scenarios, Thorn crafted a disc that All Music Guide lauded as "a great rock &; roll album," while The Nation labeled it "an incredible find."