16 Mar 2015

What is it about New Orleans? There’s something in the air there, something that makes you feel hopeful. If you look past all that destruction and pain and years of fires and floods and see all those people living and laughing and making music, you feel like you can conquer anything too. And the music, oh the music. During my first visit to New Orleans, I spent almost the entire time just walking up and down Bourbon street, wandering in and out of all the blues and jazz bars, letting my ears guide me.

There’s no shortage of good music in New Orleans and after spending the last week here, my music collection has grown a bit more. Today’s find, Ruthie Foster is a gospel and blues singer from Texas, she recently toured with the incredible Blind Boys of Alabama. She’s got the sass of Aretha Franklin and the sound of swampy bayous dripping from her every lyric; this song perfectly embodies the struggle and soul of the south.

New Orleans can seem strange to some. Chris Rose said “We dance even if there’s no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we’re suspicious of others who don’t.”

I couldn’t agree more.