内容介绍: Some artists shoot for the heart of matters because it’s the heart that matters more. At first listen, there’s something comfortingly familiar about the voice of Kenny Foster. And it’s not just his singing voice, which combines a professional’s polished croon with the gritty soul of a vocalist that’s already seen some life. But more importantly, it’s his songwriting voice that captures the listener. Like an old friend, you’d swear you’ve heard it before. His songs are like a late night conversation in a living room: intimate and instantly memorable. Kenny Foster came from the Ozark hills of Missouri. Growing up in such a beautiful environment instilled in him two competing drives: an appreciation for the comforts of home and family, and the realization that the big beautiful world was worth exploring. Both gave him the confidence to strike out for Nashville, TN, which is where he lives, where he writes, and where he dreams. He was a singer first. He grew up singing in the church choir and entertaining in school plays. He went to state vocal and choir competitions for years before deciding to pick up a guitar and try his hand at writing for himself. He’d often get marked off in his English classes for writing with a voice that was too casual. One teacher even said “Your paper sounds like we’re just sitting in a bar talking about this. It needs to be more formal.” Kenny replied, “Right, but do you still believe it?” It was time to find another medium. You wouldn’t recognize the name of Kenny’s hometown of Joplin, Missouri until the spring of 2011. Then on May 22nd, the most devastating tornado in recorded history leveled an 11-mile stretch of the town, destroying thousands of homes including the one he grew up in. In one day, everything changed for the residents of Joplin. While he spent a few days getting supplies ready to head back home to help out his family and neighbors, Kenny did what Kenny does: he wrote a song. Out of the pain he heard in the voices of folks who had lost everything, and in some cases everyone, Kenny searched his own heart for what he wanted to hear. The result was nothing short of right; it was hope in the midst of heartache. He took that song to play for his family at a bittersweet barbecue just 4 days after the storm. A family friend posted an iPhone video of him singing it at a dinner table on Youtube and it received thousands of hits almost immediately. The universality of something so personal resonated with a lot more people than he could have ever imagined. So he recorded it, put it up on iTunes and his personal website, and turned the attention into a donation drive. 100% of the song’s proceeds are still heading right back to the United Way to help aid in their efforts for tornado relief. “Every time I go home to help out it feels like they’re all rooting for me,” Kenny says about the experience. “At this point, I just don’t want to let ‘em down.” It may have taken a terrible tragedy and his own heart’s lament to put yet another Kenny on the country music map, but don’t think that’s the only thing that will keep him there. He’s got over a decade of singing and songwriting experience and his raw talent has been tempered in the fires of Nashville for at least that long. Kenny has received consistent recognition for his songs over the years, participating in ASCAP’s Lester Sill and Country Music Workshops and having songs held for consideration by some of country music’s top stars. He received accolades from acclaimed Broadway composer of “Wicked”, Stephen Schwartz, who invited Foster and his band to perform at a fundraising event at the legendary Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. Foster’s song “Land” co-written with Matthew Puckett, appeared in an episode of ABC’s “Boston Med” last season. Kenny was also featured in a Superbowl commercial with hit singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. Foster has received media attention from news outlets including ABC News, Forbes Magazine and The Washington Post. And beyond all of that, he’s performed in front of thousands of fans over the years, and if you get the chance to see him, you’ll see he’s just beginning to reach his stride. All that to say, Kenny Foster has been around for awhile and although he’s just starting to become a household name, we’re pretty sure that when you see him you might just say, “Oh yeah, that guy…” Mostly, Kenny writes songs to connect. To hear about life, to discuss it, to make changes in his own, and hopefully affect change in others. “I really want people to think it over, twist it around in their heads, and hopefully come out with a better understanding of this thing we all do; this life thing.” Kenny says of his songwriting process. “We either help each other figure it out, or we screw it up for one another.” He certainly hopes that his contribution is the former.