Search - Irma Thomas :: Wish Someone Would Care / Take A Look

Finally!!

Stephen Espinola | Brooklyn NY | 01/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Irma's 1964 and 1966 albums for Imperial/Liberty records, on one CD. No-frills mastering & packaging, vintage mixes, non-brickwalled (!!!!), and apparently from original or at least decent master tapes. Some of the fades seem to end abruptly, but checking against the same mixes released elsewhere, no music is missing--I think this is the way the songs were mixed back then! (60's faders had their limitations.)



If you are discovering Irma's early recordings, I'd buy one of the best-of's first, perhaps. The Kent set "Time is On My Side" is my favorite, and an out of print 1992 EMI set ("Vol. 1") has some additional Ron Furmanek remixes that actually sound better than some of the original bounced-down 1964 stereo mixes. The "Take A Look" album seems to have always had a slightly hazy sound in its original mixes, too.



But collectors and fans have been waiting to hear most of this stuff on CD for a couple decades...or they've paid top dollar for other CDs just to get another one or two of the deep tracks featured here.



The "Take a Look" album is probably better sequenced and selected than her first album, and weirdly, a bunch of Irma's best performances of the era didn't make it to either of these albums back then (four great songs weren't released at all until 1992). Most of this material is in a different, more bombastic, high-production vein than her earlier New Orleans-styled stuff for Minit. You will want to do some additional exploring.



No complaints about this CD. Fans will need it."

Exceeded my Expectations

Mark Ligget | Texas | 05/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD exceeded my expectations. One of my top five albums ever(really, it's two albums). I wasn't that familiar with Irma Thomas except from "Break-a-way" and "Time Is On My Side". Well, there's more where that came from. Most of the album is more in the "Time is on my Side" vein,(but with a bit smaller choir). Irma embodies the best aspects of the 'gospel/girl group' styles but is never self-indulgent or distracting here. She soars. The arrangements are perfect for the songs, except I do prefer Tom Jones' interpretation of "Without Love (I Have Nothing)". The rest of the songs are well chosen and I wish I knew the musicians playing, they rock, especially the drummer who is always doing a fill or a turn that fits. Drummers, take a lesson! Did I mention the sound quality is excellent (altho there might be a slight degradation on the 'Take a Look' cuts). Highly recommended."