The Doobie Brothers with Ruthie Foster July 1, 2007

Doobie Brothers n. ['Hind. dub; Sans. durva, a kind of pasture grass; L. frater; G. bruder, Sans. bhratar; AS. brothor, male sibling'] 1. Music group known for blues based songs with a rock edge, often with lush vocal harmonies (see also rock 'n' soul). 2. Assemblage of musicians specializing in country based rock featuring instrumentation such as violin and finger-picked acoustic guitar combined with electrical instruments and drums. 3. Musical entity recognized for incorporating sophisticated jazz stylings into "popular hit" songs. 4. "Rock" band, origins circa 1970, with reputation for exciting live performances and skillful musicianship.

If you haven’t yet been introduced to the music of this prodigiously gifted singer and songwriter from Texas, you’re in for a major epiphany. And if you’ve been following Foster’s career ever since her self-released, 1997 debut, Full Circle, or even since her 2002 breakthrough, Runaway Soul, you’re in for an even bigger surprise, because you really haven’t ever heard Foster until you hear her now. Simply put, mama’s gotta brand new bag. “Running across Papa Mali when I did was great for me,” says Foster. “Because he’d been showing up to a lot of my shows here in Austin, and he mentioned that he heard so much more in me than what was coming across. She admits to initially having “quite a few reservations” about calling her fifth album The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, crediting both her producer, noted Austin-based “swamp music” guitarist Malcolm “Papa Mali” Welbourne, and her label, Houston’s Blue Corn Records, for making that particular gutsy call. As for how they came up with it, well … just give it a listen, and you’ll understand.