1. Got To Bring It With You*
2. Let It Be Me*
3. I’m Your Puppet
4. Loving Arms
5. There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
6. The New Rules
7. Another Man Done Gone
8. What Can I Do
9. I Count the Tears
10. Old Records
11. Back Water Blues
12. In the Middle of It All
13. Sweet Touch of Love
14. Your Ship Has Sailed*
15. River Is Waiting

* Previously unreleased track

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BYSFQY/?tag=imwan-20

Rounder Records to Release Irma Thomas 'The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration' 8/25
(Posted 06/11/09)

Burlington, MA – On August 25, Rounder Records will proudly release The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration, from the Grammy® award winning R&B legend Irma Thomas. Thomas, the reigning Soul Queen of New Orleans, celebrates 50 years as a recording artist; half of those years with Rounder Records. This collection features three brand new tracks, 9 highlights from her Rounder catalogue, and 3 tracks recorded as a guest for special projects on other labels. The album showcases one of America’s most distinctive and classic singers, a treasure from the golden age of soul music who remains as compelling and powerful as ever. She is at her very best!

Thomas signed with Rounder in 1985 and released her first Rounder album, The New Rules in 1986. She has since released at total of 10 studio albums on Rounder. A three-time Grammy® nominee, in 2007 Thomas accepted her first-ever Grammy® award ‘Best Contemporary Blues Album’ for her Rounder release After the Rain, and was nominated in the same category for her 2008 release Simply Grand. Thomas has received Grammy® nominations for Simply the Best: Live! (Rounder, 1991), and for her collaboration with Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson on the best-selling Sing It! (Rounder, 1998), both produced by her longtime friend and Rounder VP of A&R Scott Billington, whose 25-year creative partnership with Thomas may be something of an industry record.

One per cent of the proceeds of this album will be donated to Habitat for Humanity International.

50th Anniversary Celebration Track Listing:
1. Got To Bring It With You*
2. Let It Be Me*
3. I’m Your Puppet
4. Loving Arms
5. There Must Be a Better World Somewhere
6. The New Rules
7. Another Man Done Gone
8. What Can I Do
9. I Count the Tears
10. Old Records
11. Back Water Blues
12. In the Middle of It All
13. Sweet Touch of Love
14. Your Ship Has Sailed*
15. River Is Waiting

* Previously unreleased track

I love Irma Thomas, especially the Minit years!

Yeah, between Irma's voice and Allen Toussaint's ability to match the singer with the right song, a lot of her Minit stuff is truly excellent. (Actually, Toussaint is grossly underappreciated for his importance as a producer and A&R man, but that's another thread altogether.)

After leaving Minit, Irma recorded some sides for Chess, most of which were not released until 1990. The OOP CD is quite expensive. I've never heard the cuts, but they are said to be among her best recordings ever.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002Q6A/?tag=imwan-20

Of the few Rounder cuts I've heard, I can say that her Rounder catalog is one that I'd definitely explore more thoroughly if I had the money to do so. Her live CD from 1991 is a lot of fun, especially since she performs some of her Minit songs and some traditional New Orleans tunes as well.

I've seen televised performances of her over the past few years and she seems to have just as strong (and soulful) a voice as ever.

Jon Tyler, I highly recommend the Chess Originals CD you posted the cover of here. Even at a premium price, it's an absolute must.

Unfortunately, my financial situation severely limits what I can buy right now. So premium priced ANYTHING is pretty much out of the question right now. The best I can do righ now is wait for a copy to come up for sale, where the seller doesn't realize its value.

Goog, If you've never done so before, I highly recommend your checking out the Home of the Groove Blog ) http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com The blog even has an accompanying "radio" station. The blogger (Dan Phillips) has an encyclopedic knowledge of New Orleans music (and is also a helluva nice guy.)

Thanks, Jon, I'll go visit the Nawlins blog.

Bump: added cover image to the first post.