National Public Radio has been celebrating “50 Great Voices,” and last night they named Irma Thomas one of them. Among the tributes to Thomas is this from Allen Toussaint:

“The phrasing—it just sounds so much like New Orleans in particular,” says Allen Toussaint, who has been recording with Thomas since the beginning of her career. “And as a female vocalist, Irma is the epitome of that.”

And this from David Torkanowsky:

“It’s heart-wrenching when she sings,” Torkanowsky says. “It’s dripping with soul. It really is.”

Torkanowsky says that when he plays with Thomas, it feels like an intimate conversation.

“That’s why people love her—because there’s no pretense to her delivery or the sound of her voice or how she renders a lyric,” he says. “And she won’t sing anything that she doesn’t believe in.”