Irma Thomas – A Woman’s Viewpoint: The Essential 1970s Recordings

This nineteen-song collection chronicles the third phase of Irma Thomas’ remarkable career, following her Allen Toussaint-guided early years with the Minit and Imperial labels and her short time at Chess. The outstanding first half of A Woman’s Viewpoint consists of the 1972 release In Between Tears, with producer/songwriter Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams filling the Toussaint slot. Thomas’ voice, rich with that unmistakable yet intangible deep-soul quality, proves to be a versatile instrument comfortable expressing devotion, defeat, or defiance, depending on the role she’s playing: contented wife (country-soul gem “These Four Walls”), fleeing wife (“We Won’t Be In Your Way Anymore”, a soul-rock getaway), or cheated-on wife (pretty much the rest). At the center is the five-minute monologue “Coming From Behind”, which segues into a reprise of Thomas’ own “Wish Someone Would Care”; the results come close to the audacious heights scaled by Clarence Carter’s “Making Love (At The Dark End Of The Street)”. The second half of A Woman’s Viewpoint isn’t quite as consistently thrilling, but it still boasts fine versions of two Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham songs, “A Woman Left Lonely” and “Zero Willpower”.