Ruler of My Heart

Irma Thomas turns Allen Toussaint's ballad, written under his Naomi Neville pseudonym, into a lesson in quiet resilience. Rather than wailing about being left, she sings with measured, stoic sadness, letting the natural warmth of her voice carry the ache of waiting alone. Otis Redding reworked it as Pain in My Heart, and comparing the two shows how much her calm adds.