Willie and the Wheel [Digipak]

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Paul Shaffer; Vince Gill
Engineer: Sam Seifert; Vance Powell; Adam Odor; Boo MacLeod; Sam Seifert; Adam Odor; William Armstrong
Producer: Ray Benson; Jerry Wexler; Ray Benson; Peter Schwarz
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Willie Nelson (vocals); Ray Benson (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Jason Roberts (vocals, mandolin, electric mandolin, fiddle); Elizabeth McQueen (vocals); Sam Seifert (acoustic guitar); Vince Gill (electric guitar); Eddie Rivers (steel guitar); Jonathan Doyle (clarinet); Dave Alexander (trumpet); Michael Mordecai (trombone); Paul Shaffer, John Michael Whitby, Floyd Domino (piano); Dave Miller, Kevin Smith (bass guitar); David Sanger (drums); Peter Schwarz . Audio Mixers: Ray Benson; Sam Seifert; Adam Odor. Audio Remasterers: Don Cobb; Eric Conn. Liner Note Author: Ray Benson. Recording information: Bismeaux Studios, Austin, TX; Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Perdenales Studios. Photographer: Lisa Pollard. Arranger: Ray Benson. Bringing Willie Nelson and Western Swing revivalists Asleep at the Wheel together for an album of Western Swing classics was a dream project for legendary producer Jerry Wexler, who had wanted to do it back in the 1970s, when Willie was still with Atlantic. (It wound up being one of the last recordings he worked on before his death in 2008.) Better late than never, Nelson and the band finally teamed up for WILLIE AND THE WHEEL. The Wheel had recently backed Willie up on tour, so they knew just how to make their sound work for the singer, and sure enough, Nelson's vocals fit the band's tight-but-swinging sound like the proverbial glove. Tackling tunes made famous by Bob Wills and others, they keep it traditional, staying within the stylistic template established some six decades earlier, but still stamping the project with plenty of their own distinctive personality. It was just a matter of time before Willie Nelson cut a record with fellow Texan legends Asleep at the Wheel: Willie may duet with anybody who wanders onto his bus, but he and the Wheel have a shared background in Western swing, a background they explore thoroughly on 2009's Willie and the Wheel. If it seems like Willie and the Wheel should have cut an album together a little earlier than 2009, well, they almost did. During Nelson's seminal stint at Atlantic in the early '70s, producer/label head Jerry Wexler urged Willie to record a duet album with the Wheel, but Nelson left the label before it could happen. The idea was revived when Wexler saw Asleep at the Wheel open for Nelson in 2007 and soon enough, the two parties got together to run through a bunch of standards. Surprise isn't the order of the day on Willie and the Wheel; it's pretty easy to guess the songbook just based on the collaboration and sure enough, there's a hefty dose of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys -- "Right or Wrong," "Bring it on Down to My House," "Corrine Corrina" -- and a bunch of Milton Brown, Cliff Bruner, and Spade Cooley. Chances are, many of the songs would have remained the same if this had been cut back in the early '70s, but the spirit is much different. Back then, the teaming would have been the sound of young insurgents creating their own bridge to the past, but this is the sound of the old guard settling in and doing what they do best, laying back instead of pushing forward, enjoying each other's company instead of gearing up for a cutting contest. While it's possible to discern some tattered edges on the fringe -- in particular, Willie's voice can sound a bit gruff and rough -- this is as comfortable and welcoming as a familiar old leather jacket. It's no surprise that it feels good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

JazzTimes (p.113) - "[T]he headliners are supremely comfortable with each other....Benson carries his share of the vocal burdens with a rusticated charm, most memorably on 'Oh! You Pretty Woman.'" Dirty Linen (p.47) - "Besides AATW's exemplary playing and Nelson's own inimitable vocals and syncopated phrasing, this collaboration stands uniquely on its own..." Billboard (p.33) - "[T]he top-notch players do a fine job of interpretation here....The set is so authentic one almost feels guilty listening to it on modern speakers instead of seated around the old Victrola."

Willie Nelson began working in a conventional Nashville style and had great success as the songwriter of Faron Young's hit "Hello Walls" and others, but he was initially unable to make it as a performer. In the 1970s, he and Waylon Jennings made history with their outlaw country sound and image, growing their hair long and utilizing a raw, rock-influenced sound that endeared them to millions of country fans and rockers alike. Subsequently, Nelson ventured into Sinatra territory with STARDUST, an album of standards that became a huge success and established him as a singer who transcended genre boundaries. Throughout the '80s, '90s, and into the 21st century, he crossed over into pop and back again continually, even releasing an album of reggae covers, working with artists as diverse as Julio Iglesias and Ryan Adams.

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