Grammy award-winning blues singer Irma Thomas scored hits in the early '60s, including “Time Is on My Side” (later covered by the Rolling Stones), but by the end of the decade, she was a single mother struggling to support four kids. Working at a department store, she recorded intermittently and then came back big in the '70s, to become known as the soul queen of New Orleans.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed her house and nightclub, but just weeks later, she recorded After the Rain and snagged a Grammy. Just last month, she released Simply Grand. Girl howdy, it’s a great one featuring renowned pianists like Marcia Ball, Norah Jones and Dr. John. In fact, Dr. John played guitar on one of her first-ever recordings in 1959 (for “You Can Have My Husband [But Please Don’t Mess With My Man”]) and he’s back on this release, pounding the ivories for two songs.

Ever since I saw her energetic performance at a local club, I’ve been a fan of Marcia Ball’s swampy blues. Pairing her with a great singer like Thomas was genius and sure to garner repeated plays on my iPod. … continue reading

In case you haven’t heard, Jessica Simpson has a country album due out in September. Yes, you read that right.

As an admitted fan of country music, I have mixed feelings about the move. Simpson doesn’t have the best track record as an artist, so I haven’t been too convinced that a change in genre will do her much good. But, the release of her first country single is changing lots of minds.

I’m still not entirely sure what to think, but I do have to admit that “Come on Over” is a bit catchy. (You can hear it on Simpson’s MySpace page.) Her voice is still too airy for my taste, but since I have already been caught singing along to the song, I can’t hate on it too much. It’s still too early to tell whether Simpson’s genre-jumping will pay off or not, but let’s look at some others who have successfully made the leap. … continue reading

I'm once again brain-dead on a Monday, so I thought I'd post some pretty posters.

Get Smart (Anne Hathaway) — She gets smarter in every version of the poster.

The Forbidden Kingdom — A Jackie Chan movie, but I'll be focused on these two.

Jolene — No, it's not based on the Dolly Parton song, sadly. No matter how much the poster may seem to suggest that. … continue reading