Veteran Bay Area blues and soul singer Tia Carroll masterfully struts and smolders her way through a set of most suitable sounding covers, dropping some respectable original fare as well.  Assertiveness and vulnerability get equal treatment in Ms. C’s powerhouse delivery, meshing well with the content of songs such as Rick Estrin’s “Don’t Put Your Hands On Me” and Z.Z. Hill’s “I Need Someone”.  Her own collaboration “Even When I’m Not Alone” is solid ballad fare and her just-below-the-boiling-point workup of Anthony Hamilton’s “Ain’t Nobody Worryin’” is most airplay-worthy.  Old-school vocal backup from The Sons of Soul Revivers are an ear-grabbing facet of the solid studio backup present.  A possible “Best Of Year” candidate.