Adam Foster tuned his Americana roots to the human cost of conflict for his May 23rd release, Born Into War. From the first droning chord progression, there’s no doubt he knew the weight of the theme he chose to bear. The lap steel resonance doesn’t just serve as sonic decoration. It mourns alongside the lyricism, becoming just as crucial to the protest as Foster’s voice.
After Charming Lies imagined the melancholy of Cash drifting into the weightless introspection of Dylan, with a little extra homegrown Americana reimagined through an indie folk lens, Born Into War cuts deeper. The Nashville-based songwriter, originally from Albany, New York, has never shied away from pulling at uncomfortable threads. Since his self-titled acoustic debut in 2004, through his full-band evolutions with albums like Dirty City and Late Bloomer, Foster has shown a commitment to confronting what many try their best to ignore.
His rock, blues, folk, and country sensibilities, sharpened by decades of playing nightclubs and festivals across the States, give Born Into War an unmistakably seasoned edge. Foster only gets more daring with each socio-political release. He screams into the void and melodies scream back, carrying the weight of disenfranchisement, disillusionment, and deep longing for peace.
There’s no ambiguity in the message. This is protest music sharpened by experience and sincerity, not softened by poetic obscurity. Foster didn’t write this for comfort. He wrote it because someone had to.
Born Into War is now available to stream on all major platforms; for the full experience, stream the lyric video on YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast