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Simply Grand
by Irma Thomas


N/A

based on 12 reviews
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Official Artist Site

The latest album from the Grammy-winning R&B; singer features pianists such as Dr John, Henry Butler, and Tom McDermott.

LABEL:	Rounder
RELEASE DATE:	12 August 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	R&B, Soul

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

The Guardian

Concept albums like this can be a mess, but this one justifies its title: it's both simple and grand.

The New York Times

Ms. Thomas sings warmly and forthrightly amid the two-fisted rumbas, R&B; vamps, jazz ballads and barrelhouse flourishes. And without getting heavy-handed the song choices haven’t forgotten what happened to her beloved city.

Boston Globe

Simply Grand is an album whose charms are too subtle to catch on the first spin or third, but enough listens will make it clear that the album's title is nothing more than a statement of fact.

Village Voice

Her voice is rich, finely textured, and more expressive now than when it hit r&b; charts in the 1960s. But her recordings can sound monotonous. That's not true here.

Billboard

The concept behind Simply Grand was to pair Thomas with a different star pianist on each track, and the results are mostly stunning.

Hartford Courant

Best of all, though, in these 14 piano-driven, acoustic settings is the pure, lustrous Thomas approach to everything from blues-drenched soul to chic jazz balladry.

NOW Magazine

Simply Grand is the perfect showcase for Thomas’s impressive range and understated power.

All Music Guide

The tunes are old and new, borrowed and blue, but Thomas makes them all her own.

Paste Magazine

Take one of the world’s finest singers, pair her with a wide variety of pianists and a selection of impeccably chosen songs, and you get an album of elegant passion and restraint.

Rolling Stone

Thomas' versions of these stark, powerful tunes help Simply Grand live up to its title.

PopMatters

Not all of the compositions here strike gold.

Mojo

Irma and producer Scott Billington have devised the perfect setting. [Sep 2008, p.1000]

The average user rating for this album is 0.0 (out of 10) based on 0 User Votes
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Simply Grand by Irma Thomas

Simply Grand
by Irma Thomas