Review: Carolyn Wonderland ‘Truth Is’
By Hal Horowitz
“I’m a Texas girl, so don’t be startin’ no fights” crowed Carolyn Wonderland on her previous album, 2021s ‘Tempting Fate.’ That swagger has kept her viable and moderately successful in her home state’s competitive music scene for her lengthy career.
Wonderland started early. She stopped using a pick on her mother’s guitar because it marred its finish and learned to play using only her fingers. She was six at the time. Now 52, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, who has played with virtually every Texas legend, is finally receiving wider recognition.
There’s something identifiably Lone Star in Wonderland’s eclectic style. Her blend of country, blues, soul, and roots rocking with hints of gospel and even jazz exudes a distinctive roadhouse vibe making her one of the state’s most recognizable faces. A lengthy stint as John Mayall’s guitarist in his ever-changing Bluesbreakers outfit, brought her well-deserved worldwide attention which helped lead to her Alligator debut four years ago.
That Dave Alvin-produced project, her first for a well distributed imprint, successfully widened her popularity. Consequently, it’s little surprise she again employed Alvin (whose talents she acknowledges with “I’ve never had my ass handed to me so thoughtfully in the studio”) to spearhead this similarly-styled, dozen song follow-up.
‘Truth Is’ touches on a variety of styles. Wonderland gets political on the title cut declaring “Truth is for sale, at a price we all pay” as the rhythm kicks into a fast shuffle and she knocks out an energized solo on a song that might have appeared on a John Mayall album. She shifts into a spirited New Orleans’ second line for the sassy “It Should Take” featuring Dr. John-influenced piano and another feisty guitar part. Alvin suggested covering “Orange Juice Blues,” a rollicking obscurity from Bob Dylan and the Band’s basement tapes, with vocal and piano assistance from fellow Alligator artists, Texan Marcia Ball and Cindy Cashdollar on lap steel.
The vibe goes boogie for “Tattoos as His Talisman,” a co-pen with Alvin that tells of a guy who is a “three-part tragedy in your final act.” We take a soulful amble down to Memphis with the earnest ballad “Let’s Play a Game,” a torrid example of Wonderland’s rebellious voice at its most churchy and forceful asserting “..peace without justice/That’s just freedom denied” before embarking on a sweet yet flaming six-string stroll.
She’s just “Whistling Past that Graveyard” on a slower but jaunty Texas toe-tapper (another co-write with Alvin) giving pianist Red Young and Cashdollar shots at the spotlight and allowing Wonderland to display her supple whistling (!) abilities, just another talent in her arsenal.
When she hangs onto the last word of the opening riff-dominated bluesy rocker “Sooner or Later,” elongating it with “Sooner or later you gonna have to take a staaaaand,” you’ll be gripping your seat. Wonderland rides a rubbery funk groove on the defiant “I Ain’t Going Back” as Ruthie Foster, Shelley King (another Texas legend) and Ball bring vocal support on a song that bridges the personal and political in its bold approach to always looking ahead and advocating to “Step aside or lend a hand.”
Wonderland has been at this long enough to deliver the rugged, rocking ‘Truth Is’ with a fiery combination of confidence, poise and the gutsy bluster of someone who knows her singing, compositional and musical strengths and works them like the skilled journeywoman she is.
Pre-order the album HERE
“Sooner or Later”
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