New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas tackles the duet-album concept with a difference on SIMPLY GRAND. The shockingly vibrant voice of the 67-year-old R&B belter is blissfully uncrowded by the presence of guest vocalists; instead, these duets find Thomas paired with a succession of famed pianists, including Dr. John, Ellis Marsalis, Norah Jones, and others. The novel concept works well throughout, but the most affecting moments are probably the sparse piano-and-vocal-only tracks Thomas recorded with Dr. John, where the subtleties of the veteran soul singer's rich sound can be most fully experienced. And if you think you've heard the definitive version of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" before, you may reconsider upon catching Thomas and Newman's take on the melancholy marvel.

After a lifetime in the business, the Soul Queen of New Orleans finally won a Best Contemporary Blues Grammy in 2006 for After the Rain. As everyone knows, there's a lot more to Thomas than the blues. She's a powerful R&B belter, simmering soul singer, and all round entertainer as comfortable with a standard like "Stormy Weather" as she is with a new tune like Dr. John's "Be You." True to its punny title, Simply Grand features Thomas in the company of 13 piano players laying down accompaniment on the acoustic grand. The tunes are old and new, borrowed and blue, but Thomas makes them all her own. The most powerful tracks here showcase Thomas and a solo pianist, bringing the feel of a smoky late-night bar on the end of lonely street to life. "Be You" features Dr. John, who played piano on the very first Thomas recording session, 1959's "You Can Have My Husband (But Don't Mess with My Man)." Rebennack's piano on "Be You" is dramatic and funky, halfway between a Mardi Gras romp and a Sunday morning sermon. Written by Rebennack and Doc Pomus, it's a simple, soulful love song with a playful vocal by Thomas . On the Louis Jordan standard "If I Had Any Sense I'd Go Back Home" Mac and Thomas get down and dirty, with Thomas delivering a casual vocal that plays around with the beat, while Rebennack backs her with clusters of rippling arpeggios. "Somebody Told You," a sassy Allen Toussaint R&B number Thomas recorded back in 1962, gets a reprise (in the same key as the original) with John Medeski rolling out some stomping New Orleans fonk on his solo while Thomas testifies with her usual soulful intensity. Marcia Ball chose the Leon Russell tune "Same Old Blues" for the session and gives it a gospel twist that lets Thomas flex her moaning lower resister. Randy Newman supplies keys and his own "Think It's Going to Rain Today" to close the album. Thomas makes a bleak lyric even more forlorn with an understated sighing vocal that's downright heartbreaking. But the album also has it's sassy, uptempo moments. John Fogerty's "River Is Waiting" also has a celebratory churchy ambience with great backing vocals, Henry Butler's sanctified piano, and Thomas' testifying lifting the tune to heaven. "Early in the Morning," another Louis Jordan tune, a tongue in cheek tale of a woman looking for solace after being up all night, gets a humorous read from Thomas and pianist Tom McDermott. "Underground Stream" is a pop tune from pianist David Egan that combines R&B and gospel with a classic '40s pop feel. The chorus is instantly memorable, and if there was any justice in the world it'd be the monster hit Thomas deserves. ~ j. poet

Rolling Stone (p.88) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[A] set of understated piano-based songs by Crescent City's long-reigning queen of soul....Thomas' versions of these stark, powerful tunes help SIMPLY GRAND live up to its title."

Down Beat (p.81) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "She holds one's attention with sophisticated presentations of emotion..."

Dirty Linen (p.50) - "SIMPLY GRAND celebrates the Crescent City's legacy of great piano players, with Thomas accompanied on each track by a different pianist."

Billboard (p.41) - "[Her voice] is a rare blend of smooth simplicity and heart-cracking emotion....Randy Newman's 'I Think It's Going to Rain Today' closes the set with a bittersweet touch."

Paste (magazine) (p.57) - "There's delicate jazz with Ellis Marsalis, punchy funk with Dr. John, ornate wizardry with Tom McDermott and sophisticated beauty with Randy Newman, all held together by a singer who lands straight in the heart of every song."