Thanks for this good news from New Orleans. This music and her uplifting words remind me of the connection I have felt when staying in New Orleans.

Sent by Robert Whitman | 1:42 PM ET | 02-16-2007

Irma, you are the best! We love you in NOLA. You are our treasure.

Sent by doctorj | 2:29 PM ET | 02-16-2007

I loved this interview, and appreciate the long form rather thanjust a 3 or 4 or 7 minute segment.

Butas an Orleanian I have to let you know that Irma's name is pronouced Er-ma or Uhr-ma, not Eeeer-ma. I live in TX now so I understand the tendency to pronounce it Eeeer-ma, the Spanish way, but it's just plain old Er-ma in New Orleans!

Anyway, best of luck with this endeavor and I hope our station will pick it up.

Sent by Nicole LeBlanc | 3:26 PM ET | 02-16-2007

This is a wonderful feel good interview. I'm happy that Ms. Thomas earned her Grammy, and it was great to hear her perform.

I also enjoyed hearing her talk about New Orleans, and I would have enjoyed more time spent on that topic. The loyalty that people have shown New Orleans after Katrina has amazed me.

Sent by Steve Petersen | 3:28 PM ET | 02-16-2007

I only know a little about the blues, so while this wasn't the most interesting interview, I did enjoy listening to it.

I wonder, however, if this Grammy more had to do with this being her best album, or it being some kind of post Katrina political statement. I'm hoping it's the former, but you never can tell with the Grammys.

Sent by Scott K. | 10:10 PM ET | 02-16-2007

It was great hearing from Irma. We've been away from New Orleans for 5 years, and still we miss the sounds and the great people. I'm searching for some of her new tunes. By the way, it's ER-ma (not EAR-ma).

Sent by marymc | 5:36 PM ET | 02-18-2007

aoeu

Sent by aou | 1:13 AM ET | 02-21-2007

to Nicole--My bad! But it's all Marie's fault ( our producer) Her best friend's name is Irma, and guess what? she lives in South Texas, and she is Eeer-ma. And she just had a baby, so I've been hearing alot about Eeer-ma. Next time I talk to Uhr-ma Thomas I will be sure to keep my Irma's straight. But I think it's just easier to call her My Queen..Thanks for helping us get it right..

Sent by Michel Martin and the rough cuts team | 6:00 PM ET | 02-21-2007

That was fun. I don't know why, but when I first read the description I thought, 'Now how interesting could that be?' Maybe it was a feeling of media innundation about New Orleans? Maybe a feeling that the blues are rarely covered in an interesting way? But it was fun and very interesting. Ms. Thomas' recitation of the line, "Take my husband, but leave my man alone" in itself was worth the price of admission. P.S. I'm falling madly in love with your voice, Michel. It's rich, warm, and intelligent (and you have a nice laugh too). Lately, I really look forward to the Thursday segments. Good job.

Sent by Stanley | 11:43 AM ET | 02-22-2007

I loved this piece! Anything about the blues or New Orleans engrosses me. I can't get enough news about how NO is doing these days, and I love the blues. It's probably my single favorite genre of music, and I'm 26. Tell Irma the younger generation definitely appreciates what it means, and some of us do understand, if not completely, at least partially. The new style of show is great, too.

Sent by Amelia Ketzle | 3:33 PM ET | 02-22-2007

I loved this as well. I especially appreciated that (most of) this interview felt more conversational than question-and-answer and that there was sufficient time to talk about more than just the album. Too often artists get stuck in short interviews talking about the exact same thing over and over. This was much more compelling.

Sent by Holly | 5:19 PM ET | 02-22-2007

what's aoeu? is that a secret New Orleans thing? is it x-rated? or did you just hit "send" too soon?

Sent by Michel Martin and the rough cuts team | 2:25 PM ET | 02-23-2007

Enjoyed the interview, especially the off-the-cuff singing of the songs by Irma. Interesting and inspiring interview and I'm a new fan.

Sent by Lee | 9:28 PM ET | 02-24-2007

My opinion is that this is one of the better episodes. I liked the frankness that Thomas conveyed. I felt like I got to know her a little bit. I thought you spent a little too much time on the Grammy thing, and not enough on her life prior to it. I would have liked to hear more about her experiences as a Black Woman performer, how she got into music, who her favorite performers were, etc.

I feel like I was really critical, but I'm not. It was almost like the episode was too brief for me to leave feeling satisfied.

Can you change your talk show into a full-day format?

Sent by Brandon Lorge | 8:29 PM ET | 02-26-2007

LOVED this one! However I noticed (b/c I listen to your podcasts on the ferry, commuting) that I had to write myself a note (on my Blackberry) to comment to you. Any chance that, when you ask the question at the end, you can say an email instead? Then I would be able to send an email right off, not send MYSELF and email to "remind myself" to go to your website....just a thought

Sent by Sandra Shepard | 6:38 PM ET | 03-03-2007

I loved this interview. The sense of dignity that Ms Thomas exudes can be felt through the recording, and the touches of her singing had me running out to buy the album. I'm listening to it now, and I thank you for exposing me to such a magnificent artist.

Sent by Lianne | 3:10 PM ET | 03-06-2007