Irma Thomas

There were a lot of albums following the devastation of New Orleans, but this may be one of strongest. The music is live and loose, raucous and ebullient. It ranges from the stomping soul-jazz of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band to the joyful second line medley of famed soul singer Irma Thomas. As Thomas says, "In New Orleans, we celebrate anything and everything. We celebrate frogs, roaches, mosquitoes, alligators, red beans and rice, gumbo, okra, corn, a headache..." All proceeds from this album go to the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund, which provides assistance to musicians affected by Katrina.