After the Rain (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Irma Thomas (vocals); Dirk Powell (electric guitar, fiddle); Sonny Landreth (slide guitar); David Torkanowsky (electric piano, Hammond b-3 organ); James Singleton (acoustic bass); Stanton Moore (drums); Charles "Chucky C" Elam, III, Marc Broussard, Juanita Brooks (background vocals).

Although Irma Thomas reportedly chose the songs for her 2006 album, AFTER THE RAIN, prior to Hurricane Katrina's devastation of her hometown of New Orleans, there is simply no avoiding the specter of that disaster as it looms over the performances on this collection. The very best R&B has always been built around both a response to heartache and a refusal to be defeated by it, and that notion is clearly evident in Thomas's moving, soul-deep renderings of the 13 tracks here. Standouts include her take on Arthur Alexander's aching "In the Middle of it All"; a spare, bluesy reading of Blind Willie Johnson's "Soul of a Man"; and the simple, gospel-tinged piano-driven closer, "Shelter in the Rain." minimize