Radney Foster reflects on his spirituality on his new CD, 'Revival'

Radney Foster reflects on his spirituality on his new CD, 'Revival'

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, September 3, 2009

By MARIO TARRADELL Music Critic

mtarradell@dallasnews.com

Religious connotations abound on Radney Foster's new CD, Revival. There's the title of the disc, of course, as well as the name of his new band, the Confessions. Then we have songs such as "Forgiveness," "Angel Flight," "I Made Peace With God" and "A Little Revival."

Foster, perhaps the most famous son of Del Rio, Texas, isn't born again. He's just taken a reflective look at his spirituality given the whirlwind events in his life during the last 18 months.

"In the last year and a half, I lost my dad," says Foster, 50, by phone from Nashville, "and my son, who had been living in France for 13 years, came down to school at Belmont University [in Nashville]. That was a roller-coaster ride. It made me go through ... What is my relationship to people around me? What is my relationship to God? What is my life about? I tried to think a lot about that."

Revival is being marketed as Foster's sequel to 1999's acclaimed See What You Want to See, a masterpiece of melodies, lyrics and introspection. Back then, Foster was reeling from the aftermath of a divorce and his ex-wife moving to France with their son. He poured his heartache into songs, crafting a CD that's both musically infectious and lyrically weighty.

"I think the thing that I've done with records is taking musical snapshots of what's going on with me," he says. "See What You Want to See helped me turn that corner. As an artist I want to dig a little deeper."

He does. Revival is quintessential Foster, an inspired and crisply recorded batch of tunes that bridges the gaps separating country from rock and pop. The songs are memorable and meaty – the plaintive "I Made Peace With God," the passionate "Until It's Gone" and the soulful "Suitcase," to name a few.

Of particular note is "I Know You Can Hear Me," a most touching tale of childhood rebellion, fatherly love and a bittersweet turning of the tables later in life.

"It's about my relationship with my dad. It's a completely true story," he says. "It took me a month after my dad had passed to be able to write anything."

Foster found inspiration through a conversation with fellow songwriter Jay Clementi, his co-writer on the track. Clementi's grandmother died a week after Foster's dad. So when the two friends were talking about their respective losses, Clementi mentioned the phrase "I know you can hear me."

"It hit me like a truck," says Foster. "I told him the story of me as a little boy hiding in the closet. My dad saying, 'I know you can hear me.' Now I'm not sure he can hear me, 'cause he's gone. The song just poured right out of me."

The personal, revelatory theme of Revival spawned a documentary, Revival: Behind the Confessions, filmed by director Jeff Horny. The DVD, currently available through Foster's Web site, www.radneyfoster.com, chronicles the making of the album and also delves into some of the soul-searching subjects fueling the CD.

"It speaks to bigger issues," he says about the film, which Foster hopes will soon make the festival rounds. "We went all over the country asking everybody from Vince Gill to Keith Urban to Roger Creager to recovering addicts, street people, etc., what revival and forgiveness means to you. You'd be astounded at the answers."Plan your life

Radney Foster and Jon Christopher Davis perform at 9 p.m. Friday at Love and War in Texas, 601 E. Plano Parkway, Plano. $15. 972-422-6201. www.loveandwarintexas.com.