Irma Thomas - Take A Look (1966)

Irma Thomas is an American soul singer. 

1964's "Wish Someone Would Care" had given Irma Thomas her one and only national pop hit. Between '64 and '66 she released several more fantastic singles on Imperial Records, but none of them came close to repeating its success, the highest charting being "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)", which only got to #52. Her second Imperial album came out in 1966, and was mostly made up of the recent singles. It made for an excellent soul album, featuring songs written by Allen Toussaint, Jerry Ragavoy, Randy Newman and Van McCoy. Compared to her earlier Imperial recordings, most of the songs had a bigger, fuller sound that at times hinted at a Motown influence. 

Indeed it had plenty of potential for a big crossover commercial success (the title track in particular), so it remains a bit of a mystery as to why none of the singles sold well. There was one last single on Imperial, produced by James Brown of all people, before the label let her go. Not much was heard from Irma Thomas for a few years afterwards. 

Wish Someone Would Care (1964) <|> In Between Tears (1973)
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