Irma Thomas

She's a great unsung hero of New Orleans R&B, revered by those in the know (this lady recorded "Time Is on My Side" before the Rolling Stones) and slowly gaining the ears of those who should know. Well into her sixth decade, Irma Thomas hits it here, hard: Twelve pianists, nearly as many songwriters and Thomas, a diva whose aging voice hasn't lost that odd mixture of earthiness and stateliness that defines her. Her blues ache without growling, the New Orleans R&B swings, and she's in cool command of the jazz. The few clunkers don't derail what is ultimately a classy and affecting album.

It's easy to read Hurricane Katrina metaphors into everything New Orleans musicians
record, but that tragedy runs deep through this set of understated piano-based songs by
Crescent City's long-reigning queen of soul. Take "Cold Rain": On the surface, it's a spare,
jazzy ballad about a doomed relationship, but when Thomas sings, "Here it comes/No place
to run/Nowhere to hide/From this cold rain," her husky voice effectively transfo... More >