About A Woman Thomas Rhett

• 1Fool03:00
• 2Overdrive03:38
• 3Gone Country02:43
• 4Beautiful As You02:43
• 5Can't Love You Anymore03:34
• 6After All The Bars Are Closed03:11
• 7Church03:24
• 8Back To Blue02:50
• 9Country For California03:37
• 10Somethin' 'Bout A Woman03:30
• 11What Could Go Right03:31
• 12Boots02:25
• 13Don't Wanna Dance02:58
• 14I Could Spend Forever Loving You02:48
• Total Runtime43:52

Info zu About A Woman

As the milestone tenth studio album from folk-blues luminary Ruthie Foster, Mileage finds the singer-songwriter reflecting on a life full of professional triumphs, personal loss, and a musical journey that took a self-described “little Black girl with a guitar” from singing at churches in rural Texas to chalking up multiple Grammy nominations and collaborating with fellow greats such as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

Working alongside acclaimed producer Tyler Bryant (of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown fame), Foster unveils a collection of songs that was born from heartfelt conversations about her story. When the two native Texans first sat down (joined by Rebecca Lovell, Bryant’s wife and one-half of the duo Larkin Poe) to work on a song together, they were still warming up to each other as songwriters and feeling out the possibility of a full project. As the ideas, lyrics, and melodies began to flow, the album that emerged is one that reverberates with a beautiful creative synergy.

“One of the things I loved most about working with Ruthie was hearing her story,” said Bryant. “Every writing session started with a conversation and my wife Rebecca and I were both continuously inspired by Ruthie’s way of speaking her unique truth in song. I learned quickly to just have the microphones on, ‘cause when Ruthie starts singing, it’s gonna be a moment worth capturing.”

Even when she wasn’t singing, it was often the way Ruthie would speak her truth in conversation that became the inspiration for a song. The trio were kicking around the idea of a traveling song and the topic of Ruthie’s age came up. “I told them, ‘Honey, I got mileage!’ and Tyler’s ears perked up,” Ruthie laughs. “He said, ‘That’s a song!’” And thus the wide-open road, wide-open heart title track was born.

The album’s soulful first single, “Rainbow,” is a hopeful message of simply letting love be love. “People ask me what is love?” sings Foster. “I just point to you. People get so hung up; I just run to you.” It’s a powerful message from a queer Black female artist speaking to her journey through love and life.

The opening notes and backing choir (the vocals all performed by Foster) of the inspiring “Good For My Soul” hearken to the singer’s gospel roots. It was a song that Bryant had been working on for his band, but it wasn’t the right fit. When he played it for Foster, it was immediately clear that it was her song. (As a thank you, she offered up her voice for “Happy Gets Made” on Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown’s Electrified album.)

Some songs, like “Heartshine,” emerged around a word or a phrase that stood out during the writing sessions. One of the first songs the trio put together, the track made the group realize they were all working towards the same goal: create something that gives you goosebumps when you hear it. “That’s when we really settled into how we were going to write together,” said Foster. “Taking the conversation, turning it into poetry, and just letting me run with it, melodically.”

“Slow Down” might be an unusual title for a song with such an incredibly upbeat tempo, but illustrates its lesson by showing Foster's vocal mastery at its best — calm, commanding, and soothing the audience in the midst of the hustle-bustle. “That one was fun to sing!” remembers Foster. “It was like riding a bronco, trying to sing it.”

“I’d started on the idea of this track,” said Bryant of “Six Mile Water.” “Then Ruthie just started talking about the place she was from…” With its Hammond B3 organ and horn section, the resulting song is a resonant journey back to rural Texas — with memories of fishing, picking muscadines, and Foster musing on the meaning of “learning to be my mother’s daughter again.”

Foster’s laid-back take on “That’s Alright” is a salute to the legendary Sun Records, the label on which Mileage is released. But while Elvis put the song on the mainstream map, Foster wishes to pay homage to Arthur Crudup, the Black blues artist who wrote and first recorded it in 1946.

A holy marriage of gospel and blues, “Done” brings together Foster with Lovell in what was intended as an end-of-day session to quickly make note of a song idea before they forgot it. “I’m just gonna get in where I fit in,” Ruthie had declared in an earlier discussion about the group writing together. Her play on words, along with her memories of her grandmother begging her to hush, inspired the lyrics to the song. Singing into a single mic, the pair played off of each other in what ended up being a single-take recording session, with Megan Lovell coming in afterwards to add the lap steel guitar that would complete the track.

The playful, get-you-through-the-hard-times vibe of “Take It Easy” came together during the first writing session of what transformed into the Mileage album. “When Ruthie first came to Nashville, we said ‘Let’s try writing a song and see if collaborating is something we want to do,’” Bryant says. “We wrote this and ‘Heartshine’ on the first day. It really worked; it all just poured right out.”

A gentle, bittersweet closing track featuring Foster behind the keys of the Wurlitzer, “See You When I See You” speaks to love, friendship, and to parting ways — whether for a day or forever. On this song, as with the entire album, “Ruthie’s voice was the star of the show,” said Bryant. “I really tried to stay out of the way of that with the production.”

Mileage marks a profound collaboration with Sun Records, intertwining Foster's narrative with the legendary label's rich tapestry of musical history and inviting listeners to embark on a soul-stirring voyage through the heartland of American music. Foster's partnership with Sun signifies a union of past influences and future aspirations, echoing the label's commitment to fostering unique voices and timeless artistry.

With nods to musical legends and heartfelt tributes to her roots, Mileage is more than just an album—it's an invitation to take part in a conversation about memories, emotions, and shared humanity. It’s a reminder that every journey, no matter how far, eventually takes us home.

Ruthie Foster

Please Note: We offer this album in its native sampling rate of 48 kHz, 24-bit. The provided 96 kHz version was up-sampled and offers no audible value!

Thomas Rhett
scored his first No. one hit in 2013 with “It Goes Like This," introducing a sound that mixed the southern swagger of county music with pop hooks, R&B grooves, soulful strut, and the anything-goes attitude of rock. During the years since, he's become a husband. A father, too. And, thanks to eight chart-topping singles, a headliner of massive arenas. It's funny how life can change so much in such a short period of time.

Life Changes captures that whirlwind period. Recorded while Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren, were in the middle of adopting their daughter from Africa and awaiting the birth of their second child, it's the biggest, boldest-sounding record of his career, filled with songs that stretch his sound to new limits. Kicking off the album is "Craving You," a driving, danceable pop anthem filled with '80s-inspired production and guest vocals for Maren Morris. From there, Life Changes carves a path as wild and wide as his own career. There are coming-of-age country ballads, heartland rock & roll anthems, EDM-influenced pop tracks and R&B slow jams all wrapped together by the songwriting skills and elastic vocals of a frontman who's willing to shine a light on his own milestones and mistakes.

"I named the album Life Changes because my life has never changed this much in a short span of time," he says. "From seeing the success of a song like 'Die a Happy Man' to putting out my third album to going on my first headlining tour to having two children, both under two years old… I thought the title of the album was a good representation of what is happening in my life right now."

Much of the album's material was written on the road, while Thomas Rhett toured his way across America in support of his platinum-selling second record, Tangled Up. Released in 2015, Tangled Up marked a turning point in his career, spawning four Number One singles and one Grammy-nominated smash: "Die a Happy Man." A tender, personal song written about his wife, "Die a Happy Man" topped the charts for six weeks, earning awards from the CMA, ACM and Billboard Music Awards along the way. It was an eye-opening experience for Thomas Rhett, who'd rarely written something so intimate before. Although intensely autobiographical, "Die a Happy Man" still tapped into something widespread and universal, becoming the biggest hit of his career.

There's plenty of autobiography on Life Changes, too. Thomas Rhett sings about his own adolescence in "Sixteen," a nostalgic song about a teenager's desire to grow up…only to miss his teenage years once adulthood is finally reached. "No matter if you're 10 years old or you're 80 years old, I think you can always find an identity within the verses and choruses of that song," he says proudly. The album's title track tells a wider story, opening with his days as a struggling songwriter before moving through the various life changes — his marriage to his grade-school crush, the adoption of the couple's first daughter, the achievement of his lifelong musical dreams — that have unfolded since then. Both songs tell personal stories, but listeners can see their own lives reflected in Thomas Rhett's music. After all, who hasn't fallen in love as a teenager? Who hasn't looked back fondly on their high-school years? His stories are so compelling because they are our stories, too.

And like any great storyteller, he weaves a wide narrative on Life Changes, delivering the album from several different personas. He transforms himself into a 1950s crooner on "Sweetheart," a modernized doo-wop song inspired by his childhood trips to his grandparents' house, where he spent his afternoons listening to records by the Drifters and Carole King. "Leave Right Now" and "Marry Me” are two mid-tempo ballads underscored by big, booming beats. On "Drink a Little Beer" — a song written by his father, Rhett Akins, who contributes guest vocals to the track — he time-travels to the 1970s, back when country songs featured Telecaster guitars and phaser pedals. And on the retro "Kiss Me like a Stranger," he channels the soft-rock sounds of the Bee Gees and Hall & Oates, which he co-wrote with Jordan Reynolds and his high-school idol, Dave Barnes.

Reynolds and Barnes are just two of Thomas Rhett's collaborators on Life Changes. He co-produced the album himself — a first, with a hands-on approach to the album's layered arrangements — and he reached out to a number of new names and familiar faces for additional help. Guitar hero Dann Huff, who spent the '80s performing alongside Michael Jackson and other legends before transforming himself into a hit producer, joined him for the majority of the album. Jesse Frasure, co-producer and co-writer on much of Tangled Up had a hand in multiple new tracks including the current single “Unforgettable.” Joe London, also with co-writer/producer credits on Thomas Rhett’s sophomore effort and had a hand in writing its smash hit “Die A Happy Man,” also returns as a co-producer and songwriter. Julian Bunetta, known for his work with One Direction and other pop acts, made multiple appearances, too, including co-writing and co-producting credits on Life Changes’ chart-topping debut single "Craving You." Thomas Rhett teamed up with songwriters from across the country, working with L.A.-based hit makers one minute and fellow Nashvillians like Shane McAnally and Ashely Gorley the next. The goal was simple: to stretch his limits, widen his circle, and create the best music possible.

Life Changes owes much of that variety of Thomas Rhett's stage show, which has evolved and diversified since he first began touring.

"The more I started getting comfortable being me on stage, whether that means dancing or playing a Bruno Mars song in our set, the more it changed the way I wrote songs," he explains. "I want to continue making our concerts a fun place for all people, including people who wanna dance to love songs and people who wanna rock to rock songs. I just love having a mixture."

Variety. It's one of the key ingredients of Life Changes' powerful sound. From the EDM-inspired "Leave Right Now" to the feel-good, country-rocking "Renegades," Life Changes shines its light into every corner of Thomas Rhett's influences. It's an album for Millennials and Baby Boomers alike. For those who grew up listening to FM radio, as well as those who prefer Spotify playlists. And while several songs find Rhett proudly singing about his roots, it's also an album about moving forward. About growing, expanding, and chasing down new songs, creating the soundtrack for all of life's changes along the way.

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