Galactic & Irma Thomas

Audience with the Queen

Tipitina’s Record Club

 Two institutions collaborate on Audience with the Queen,  one who  has endured twice as long in New Orleans than the other.  The “Soul Queen of New Orleans” Irma Thomas  predates The Rolling Stones who had a huge hit with her “Time Is On My Side” in 1964. She had her first big hit in 1959 with “Don’t Mess With My Man.” The other, the jam band favorite, Galactic, has been a NOLA staple for three decades. Clearly though, there are largely different audiences for each, and Galactic could be introducing a new generation of fans to Thomas. The two have been touring for the better part of the year, appearing at Newport Jazz in 2024, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (Jazz Fest), and Summer Stage in Central Park, among others. So, the record has long been anticipated.  This kind of collaboration is not new for either. Thomas collaborated with Galactic on “Heart of Steel,” on the band’s 2010 Ya-Ka-May. In fact, working with the greats is a strong part of Galactic’s mission. They worked with the late Walter “Wolfman” Washington on his last album (the brilliant Feel So At Home), with Cyril Neville, and with Corey Glover. They are stewards of the historic New Orleans music venue Tipitina’s which has deepened their musical connections within the city. They launched Tipitina’s Record Club, the all- vinyl label that has allowed them to share music from their favorite New Orleans artists with their fans. Audience with the Queen is part of that endeavor.

The album features the 84-year-old Thomas and Galactic’s Ben Ellman (saxophones, harmonica), Rob Mercurio (bass), Stanton Moore (drums), Jeff Raines (guitar), and Rich Vogel (keyboards) with vocalists Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph and Josh Cagler.  The focus, though,, is clearly on Thomas in these nine songs as Galactic adds a more contemporary, as opposed to a throwback feel in this mix of Thomas originals and covers. The album opens with Thomas’ creative reading on Nancy Wilson’s “How Glad I Am,” with Vogel’s organ and the oohs of Joseph and Cagler framing her still powerful vocals. In just this one song, strains of soul, country, and gospel ring through as Thomas steers through tempo changes and a series of crescendos with utmost command.  The rave-up “Where I Belong” exudes pure joy against the accompaniment of blaring horns and background vocalists as Moore beats the heck out of his kit. Thomas is a powerhouse, singing – “I still got a love affair/with the sound of music in the air.” It’s downright impossible to sit still. Ellman’s wailing harmonica signals a touch of blues with “Love’s Gonna Find a Way Again,” setting up the most serious song in the program.

“Lady Liberty” is a single and is about racially fueled violence and social justice. Played to a funky rhythm, Thomas sings the kind of song we need more of these days in this increasingly racist and hate-filled environment. Lyrics say it directly – “Another black man shot down last night they keep adding up/Is this the world that we’re living in? The one we raise children in?/ Lord save us  all, Lady Liberty took a fall.” The band with their sharp, staccato horn lines and scorching guitar seem to offer a path toward change on the bridge. Thomas sings it fairly straightforward, not with the searing anger one might expect. They ratchet down into a retro ballad groove for “Puppet on Your String,” making the usual love gone wrong narrative much more complex musically than usual, punctuated by Raines’s burning guitar and the ebullient chorus from Joseph and Cagler. “Peace In Your Heart” has a irresistible funky groove replete with horns and backgrounds.

“People” rings like the throw-back soul of Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street” while “Over You” has Thomas testifying about the pain of breakup in her sassy style, as Ellman blows his blues harp and the background vocalists accentuate the choruses. Yet, the keys, bass, and guitar create a rather unconventional backdrop underneath.  The closer, “Be Your Lady” is cloaked in a filthy bassline and hand clapped rhythm, typifying what is a highly danceable record.

Galactic has brought out the best in Thomas, who sings as powerfully as she ever has. Without a doubt, Thomas states her case that she remains the undisputed Queen.

-Jim Hynes

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