Heather, xposted with your last message. Irma's one of my favorites, but she really falls much more into the "sweet soul" side of New Orleans music. If you like Etta James, you should like Irma.

And I do, "You Can Have My Husband" is an awesome song.

"Ruler of My Heart" is not only my favorite Irma Thomas songs, but also one of my fav slow dance songs.

In the seventies she also did a series of recordings in Memphis that are excellent. Those singles were collected onto a single CD put out by Chess (I think), which is probably out of print but fairly easy to find.

Unlike a lot of other soul singers, it was a big deal for Irma to record in Memphis because not only is there a bit of rivalry between Memphis and NOLA, they apposite approaches to rhythm. Memphis plays back behind the beat, and New Orleans pushes just ahead.

This conversation has passed but re:Tom Frank

I hope you don't condemn him entirely for being born rich.

Just wanted to point out that is entirely NOT why I have issues with him. As you can imagine, many KS liberals were very excited for his book, but there was a certain amount of nervousness. There is already a huge schism between East and West KS as it is. The Overland Parks vs. the Salina/Hutchison/Goodlands.

KS in particular is ripe for a sound argument that doesn't treat conservativism like it's idiot disease. They have an incredibly splintered Republican party, the Repubicans who elected and loved an awesome moderate like Nancy Kassebaum are almost as horrified at craxies like Sam Brownback as liberals are. It is so splintered, in fact, that a no-name totally uncharsimatic Democratic candidate got elected Governor in 2000.

And the Frank book just kind of made things worse locally speaking. Not because he is rich or whatever but because he just wasn't as respectful as he could have been to the people he was telling to think harder. But I think I was expecting too much from it, honestly. And actually, I would be pretty stoked to meet him because - someone from home.

I was working on a matter last year that Frank touched on in his book. He didn't speak about it at length, but reported the popular impression of what it was about as true. With basic research he could have corrected the false impression he left. Losing this example wouldn't affect his thesis, but it doesn't give me confidence for other examples he reported on.

Those singles were collected onto a single CD put out by Chess (I think), which is probably out of print but fairly easy to find.

I found a Razor and Tie compilation at a local Tower a few months ago.

I think in my head, More like Beausoliel (sp?) cajun, More Longhair? Creole.

AMG's take on the difference between Cajun & zydeco. I love Longhair, and he could certainly be classified as Creole, and zydeco can be considered Creole, but Fess isn't zydeco, at least I wouldn't say he is. Temperamentally I'm not a purist, and I don't know enough about zydeco to make sweeping pronouncements, but zydeco without an accordion just doesn't compute pour moi. YZMV. Anyway, here's a collection w/ Clifton Chenier and Professor Longhair. And here's WWOZ's list of links to local artists, broken into genres. You can listen online, but I didn't see any archives.

"Ruler of My Heart" is not only my favorite Irma Thomas songs, but also one of my fav slow dance songs.

It's on the Allen Toussaint collection, produced & written by. (Naomi Neville was his oft-used pseudonym. I think it was his mother's name.)

but zydeco without an accordion just doesn't compute pour moi.

It's like a muffaletta without olives!

It's like a muffaletta without olives!

Hee!

Thanks for the WWOZ link- I'll look through it. It looks like some guy named Doug acutally knows how to put together a mix of La. music that's not all contemporary country, so I'll be downloading that when I get home, and then going through your link, and cherry picking artists to download. This is going to make me homesick.

In other (Devil) music news: [link] Between this and my friends who forward me stuff asking for my help to find missing kids, I'm beginning to think that buffistas are the only ones who can get to snopes. Are school board members on one of the internets without it?

AMG's take on the difference between Cajun & zydeco.

I thought the main difference is that cajun musicians stand up and zydeco musicians hang from the ceiling.

Nope. Never going to get tired of that joke, am I?

Not because he is rich or whatever but because he just wasn't as respectful as he could have been to the people he was telling to think harder.

Gotcha. Not to get into defending him too much, but I don't think he's really trying to reach the masses. I think he's trying now (what with the glib answers and all) to be a talking head a la Eric Alterman.

He didn't speak about it at length, but reported the popular impression of what it was about as true. With basic research he could have corrected the false impression he left.

I see things like this all the freakin' time. Always disappointing.