‘Soul Salvation’ brings tradition with a twist to Schaumburg
One black, one white. One from Texas, one from Mississippi. One woman, one man. Both raised in the church, both steeped in the traditions of American music and both putting their own contemporary twist on it — blending blues, rock, gospel, folk, R&B and country music. And both powerful live performers, as audiences will no doubt testify when the Schaumburg Prairie Center presents Soul Salvation featuring Ruthie Foster and Paul Thorn at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 31.
Winner of the 2010 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and the 2010 Living Blues Music Award Critic’s Poll for Female Blues Artist of the Year, Ruthie Foster’s blend of soul, blues, folk and gospel has drawn comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
The Texas native has been featured on the PBS syndicated show Austin City Limits and NPR’s All Things Considered, and has made impact appearances at the world’s most prestigious festivals and in collaborations with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Foster’s latest release, “Let It Burn” (a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated “The Truth According To Ruthie Foster”), touts a smoky mix of original songs coupled with inventive interpretations of an unexpected collection of covers by Adele, Los Lobos, Johnny Cash and others.
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, Miss. 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.
His latest album, “Pimps & Preachers,” which topped the Americana charts for three weeks and broke into the Billboard Top 100, perfectly exemplified the vivid scope of his songwriting but also 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.” Performing on their own and together with Foster’s band, it’s an evening of raw musical emotion, soulful singing and finely honed musical virtuosity guaranteed to move the spirit.
Tickets for Soul Salvation featuring Ruthie Foster and Paul Thorn, $36 ($34 for students and seniors) can be ordered online at prairiecenter.org or by calling (847) 895-3600. The Prairie Center for the Arts is located at 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg.
The performance of Soul Salvation at the Prairie Center is sponsored by the Prairie Center Arts Foundation.
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