*** 1/2 Joe Ely, “Live @ Antone’s,” Rounder.

Passion may mellow and muscle may wane over time for most, but not for this Texas country-rocker, who plays Thursday at Universal Amphitheatre with Dwight Yoakam. His third live album in as many decades finds him every volt the electrifying performer he’s always been. The sense of time and place in the songs--mostly Ely’s own recent-vintage material--is as richly palpable as the personalities of his often desperate working-class characters.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.