I was driving to my brother’s house in Seattle today, thinking about what I might put up for Music Friday. I knew I would have time to think about it, as this afternoon is dedicated to Morita: I am waiting for the boxes of books — Curing Japan’s America Addiction — to arrive while my brother and his family are having fun in Oregon. No bitterness.

Anyhow, as I pull up to the house, NPR is reviewing Irma Thomas' latest CD, After the Rain. This is her musical response to the devastation of our most musical city. The review offers some great information — how she graduated from Dillard University in New Orleans at the age of 61, and now, at 67, she has put out a rocking new work, Simply Grand.

So, there was no doubt about who should be featured this week. It landed in my lap. There are plenty of YouTube tunes to choose from for Ms. Thomas, including a scene from Jim Jarmusch's quirky Louisiana film Down by Law.

Behind the cut, a great song from another long-time New Orleans rocker.