Revival

Radney Foster’s 2006 album This World We Live In sounded almost intentionally bland—as if years of seeing his songs covered by the likes of Keith Urban and Sara Evans had smoothed the edges off one of country’s master songwriters. Revival is another matter altogether. Spurred by seismic changes in his personal life (to be precise, the death of his father and his reunion with his son), Radney digs deeply into essential topics that we all encounter: spirituality, mortality, joy and doubt. Songs like “I Know You Can Hear Me” could certainly be made into hits by some modern country star, but Revival will continue to stand as a vital personal document.