Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration (Reviews)

While this compilation falls a little short of a full-scale golden anniversary party, it's probably the right celebration for right now.

It's a strange idea for a compilation. The Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary Celebration ostensibly marks a half century since Irma Thomas had her first recording session, and that's certainly a noteworthy accomplishment. Oddly, though, the collection only includes material from her Rounder era, a span of about 25 years. There are three new cuts and three non-Rounder appearances, but it's still a bit like celebrating Mark McGwire's rookie season and forgetting that…