Ellen Foley, a featured vocalist on one of the biggest-selling rock albums of all time, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, today releases a rousing new single, “Are You Good Enough.” It precedes the August 6 arrival of her fifth solo album, Fighting Words, via Urban Noise Music. The full-length is available for pre-order at Bandcamp in both autographed and standard CD formats, as well as digital download.
“’Are You Good Enough’ is a fierce feminist statement,” said Foley. “It reminds me of Shania Twain — very country but also very rock ‘n’ roll.” Fans of classic FM radio will find much to admire as the song opens with a combination of party-starting power chords and a massive drumbeat. “Our intention was for the song to land somewhere between AC/DC and Brownsville Station,” said its songwriter, Paul Foglino. “It’s a love song for people who know better — they’ve been through the wringer, either together or individually, and they’ve emerged on the other side.”
Foley and Foglino have been collaborating on songwriting and live performances for over a decade. In 2013, The Huffington Post greeted the Foglino-produced About Time album with “Ms. Foley is back on the battlefield with her first album in thirty years — a kickass roots rock affair,” while Blogcritics called it “a mature, personal, and powerful album.”
Next month’s follow-up Fighting Words is a set of rock ‘n’ roll tunes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Foglino produced the LP and assembled the musicians. Among the players are C.P. Roth, who contributes bass guitar, keyboards, and drums. Roth was collaborating with Foley in the Off-Broadway production of Club Dada (co-written by Foley and Robert I. Rubinsky) at La Mama in Manhattan when the show was closed due to Covid-19. Steve Goulding, the primary drummer for the sessions, was previously a member of Graham Parker & the Rumour and the Mekons. Ula Hedwig, a longtime friend of Foley’s, provides backing vocals. Hedwig’s resume includes extensive work with Darlene Love, and also with Bette Midler as a Harlette.
The wide array of talent has delivered a diverse, radio-friendly collection of eleven songs. First single “I’m Just Happy to Be Here” is a jubilant sugar rush featuring Foley duetting with fellow Meat Loaf alumnae Karla DeVito. “Leave Him Janie” is a tender rocker that evokes the storied days of Laurel Canyon. “I’ll Be True” and Foley’s cover of Wilson Pickett’s “I Found a Love” are emotive rhythm & blues infused with the girl group harmonies which enraptured Foley as a youth in St. Louis. “I Call My Pain by Your Name” is Foglino’s convincing take on country blues. And while the record is primarily an organic-sounding, roots-rock affair, the closing track, Foley’s version of Meat Loaf’s “Heaven Can Wait,” finds the vocalist closing the curtain with an altogether different dramatic flair. Although Foley did not contribute to the original version of this Steinman-penned track from Bat Out of Hell, she now makes it fully her own, with a dramatic, show-stopping solo vocal performance.
Foley’s version of “Heaven Can Wait” was originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 2016 film Lies I Told My Little Sister, which featured her in a supporting role. Foley has an extensive career as an actress, including roles in Hair (1979), Tootsie (1982), Fatal Attraction (1987), Married to the Mob and Cocktail (both 1988), and as a series regular on season two of NBC-TV’s Night Court (1984-1985).
Fighting Words: Tracklist:
1. Are You Good Enough
2. Be Nice
3. I’m Just Happy to Be Here
4. I Call My Pain by Your Name (Paul Foglino & Tom Meltzer)
5. I Found a Love (Wilson Pickett, Willie Schofield & Robert West)
6. I’ll Be True
7. Come on Love
8. Fill Your Cup
9. This Won’t Last Forever (Paul Foglino & Ellen Foley)
10. Leave Him Janie
11. Heaven Can Wait (Jim Steinman)
