Article Contributed by Big Feat PR
Published on 2026-08-30
Austin-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Ruthie Foster has released her new studio album, Just Say Yes, via Sun Records.
The 10-track album follows last year’s Mileage, which earned Foster her first-ever GRAMMY Award, and finds the acclaimed singer moving through soul, roots, rock, and blues with a renewed sense of openness.
Produced by Tyler Bryant of The Shakedown and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe, Just Say Yes marks another deeply personal chapter for Foster.
“This record is from my heart to yours,” Foster says. “I hope these songs sit with you, hold you close and remind you you're not alone. If even one line makes you feel seen, that's everything to me.”
Listen to Just Say Yes.
Watch the video for focus track “Yes”.
The album’s central idea is laid out clearly in “Yes,” an infectious invitation to meet life head-on. Foster sings, “When life comes knocking, asking is anybody home? You better say YES.”
The feel-good “Take Time” further emphasizes that theme, pairing Foster’s powerful vocals with a Southern soul organ line and melodic electric guitar. Inspired by encouragement from her mother during difficult times, the song celebrates the small steps that can eventually lead to larger victories.
Produced in Nashville by Bryant and co-written alongside Bryant, Rebecca Lovell, Megan Lovell, and Mike Seal, the album reflects Foster moving through life in all its complexity, seeing both obstacles and opportunities as catalysts for growth.
“I wrote this thing on a sticky note and it just said ‘Just say yes,’” Foster recalls.
Songs including “Tangled” and “Thank You” explore the emotional push and pull of difficult periods in Foster’s life. On “Thank You,” she reflects on feelings of imposter syndrome and questions surrounding her authenticity as a blues artist, despite decades of work and recognition. “Tangled,” meanwhile, leans into a more defiant and cathartic side of the record.
The album arrives after a significant period in Foster’s life. Last year, she earned her first GRAMMY Award, winning Best Contemporary Blues Album for Mileage. Her path to that moment stretched across more than three decades, including an early major-label deal following her service in the U.S. Navy and a period away from music while caring for her mother.
More recently, Foster faced a knee injury that required surgery while also navigating uncertainty in her personal life. She used a winter break from touring to spend a week recording in Nashville, reconnecting with Mileage collaborators Bryant and Lovell before undergoing surgery.
“Every last one of these songs are about some aspect of my life,” Foster says. “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.”
Foster will celebrate the album with an in-store record signing and live performance at Waterloo Records in Austin on August 31. Her upcoming schedule also includes AmericanaFest in Nashville in September, European dates, and a run of U.S. shows through the fall.
JUST SAY YES TRACKLIST
1. Thank You
2. Come on Up (ft. Larkin Poe)
3. Hold On
4. Yes
5. Take Time
6. Doubling Back
7. Tangled
8. Sitting Still
9. Maybe It Up
10. Reachin’
RUTHIE FOSTER TOUR DATES
Sept 12 - Las Vegas, NV - Big Blues Bender
Sept 13 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts
Sept 16-18 - Nashville, TN - AmericanaFest
Sept 19 - Jonesboro, AR - The Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle w/ Rosanne Cash, Rhett Miller, John Leventhal
Sept 23 - London, UK - The Lexington
Sept 24 - Paris, FR - Le Duc Des Lombards
Sept 26 - Assen, NL - Crossroads Festival
Sept 30 - Natick, MA - The Center for the Arts
Oct 1 - Rockport, MA - Shalin Liu Performance Center
Oct 2 - Portsmouth, NH - Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club
Oct 3 - East Greenwich, RI - Greenwich Odeum
Oct 5 - New York, NY - Cafe Wha?
Oct 7 - Wayne, PA - 118 North
Oct 8 - Red Bank, NJ - The Vogel
Oct 18 - Manassas, VA - Mountain Stage
Oct 20 - Richmond, VA - The Tin Pan
Oct 21 - Joplin, MA - The Coda Concert House
Oct 22 - St. Louis, MO - City Winery St. Louis
Oct 23 - Chicago, IL - City Winery Chicago
Oct 24 - Hopkins, MN - Hopkins Center For The Arts
Oct 31-Nov 7 - San Diego, CA - The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
Nov 13 - Cedar Park, TX - Haute Spot
Nov 19 - Tomball, TX - Main Street Crossing
Feb 13-20, 2027 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - XOXO Caribbean Cruise
Feb 26-Mar 5, 2027 - Miami, FL - Cayamo
