Betsy Foster is an artistic pianist and composer with great chops and has great songs in a soothing new age style. Her song "Mark's Song" won 1st Place in the Instrumental Category of the 3rd Annual IAMA is a very radio friendly track which will be suitable for XM Radio (Audio Vision) & Sirius (Spa). Her other songs “The Highlands” and “Going Home” also shows promise. Watch out for her music in new age radio stations.

http://www.betsyfoster.com/
RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 Stars)

Reviewed by The International Acoustic Music Awards

A Dream Come True
Betsy Foster
2003 / Betsy Foster
55 minutes

"A Dream Come True" is an eclectic album that showcases a variety of Betsy Foster's composing styles. From love ballads to piano pieces to sweeping soundtracks, she feels equally at home in many genres. One of the things that I found interesting about the layout of the CD is that it begins with five instrumental pieces that are primarily piano and would probably be filed under"new age," followed by five vocals that are in a more pop style, and then five much bigger orchestrations. What ties the styles together is the sincerity and honesty of the music, as well as the deeply-felt emotions. Personally, I like the first five tracks the best, but the whole album is fascinating and engaging, and it's fun to experience such a variety of music on one album. Catherine Styron plays piano and synth on all but two tracks, where Gene Rabbai takes over on the bench. Vocals are performed by Heather Blair Jones and Brian Glenn. Most of the other instrumentation is on acoustic instruments, so this CD has a very full, rich sound.

"Mark's Song" opens the CD with a soulful piece composed after the death of Princess Diana, and later named for Betsy Foster's husband. Oboe and violins combine with the piano to make this an exceptionally poignant piece. "The Christmas Waltz" is light and charming - it is easy to picture bundled up couples ice skating on a frozen lake or pond to this piece. I like the mysterious quality of "Music Box, a duet for flute and piano. "Make A Joyful Noise" starts out as a simple "song without words," but builds into a full orchestration full of happiness and optimism. The five vocals are very well done and enjoyable, but I prefer the instrumentals. I do like "Chances" a lot - the lyrics are kind of different, and Heather Blair Jones makes them very personal. The instrumental version of "Loving You" is very gentle and sweet, with kind of a country feel to it. "Longing" has the sweep of a powerful soundtrack and packs an emotional wallop - what a beauty! "Hope" starts out big and becomes a gorgeous piano piece with accompaniment by a rich variety of instruments, becoming bigger again as the piece develops. "The Highlands" is another departure, with a Celtic feel and expansive style - haunting and lyrical.

"A Dream Come True" is a most impressive debut, and gives us a fascinating sampling of what Betsy Foster is capable of as a composer. Iâ??m sure weâ??ll be hearing a lot more from her in the future! It is available at www.betsyfoster.com (lots of sound samples!), www.cdbaby.com, and www.amazon.com.

Kathy Parsons
Solo Piano Publications

The following appeared in the March 18th, 2004 edition of Broadjam.com's newsletter:

"Mark's Song" by Betsy Foster is a beautiful representation of what happens when violin meets piano accompaniment. An instrumentalist's imagination truly comes alive in this piece....This is very peaceful music. It would be wonderful for meditation or prayer. Interesting melody and progression. Quality instrumentalist, satisfying ending.

-Broadjam Publisher

A Dream Come True
Betsy Foster
(Relaxation / Inspirational)

Soft, flowing, relaxing, and comfortable--such is the melodic music of composer, Betsy Foster. From the richly emotional opening number to the final commemorative march, A Dream Come True expresses the passion and love of music that Betsy creates through her compositions. With a combination of romantic instrumental and vocal selections, rhythmic and memorable melodies, Betsy creates a sense of nostalgia with tunes like “Mark’s Song”--reminiscent of the Salon Orchestra--and yet also offers very contemporary material to touch the heart and soul of the listener. Light pop occasional jazz, and emotional orchestrations—Betsy gives a variety of music to please lovers of modern and classical styles.

Michael Woodhead, Synchronicity Magazine