Carolyn Wonderland - Live Texas Trio (2015)

Carolyn Wonderland, “Live Texas Trio” (Bismeaux) is the fiery blues singer and guitarist’s 10th album, her third for Ray Benson’s Bismeaux label, and it smartly captures what Wonderland does best: Letting everything loose onstage. Culled from performances at the old Antone’s in Austin as well as Dallas’ Kessler Theatre and Houston’s Last Concert Cafe (the “trio” refers to shows, not the lineup, which on some tracks grows to seven players), the 12-song disc includes choice covers from the likes of Doug Sahm (“At the Crossroads”) and Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas (“Cumbia Raza”) as well as a handful of originals. Perhaps best of all is the bluesy core Wonderland taps into on two Blind Willie Johnson tunes, “Samson and Delilah” and “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”