Asleep at the Wheel, Willie Nelson - Willie and the Wheel
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Music Reviews of Willie and the Wheel
Music Review: Willie and the Wheel--spirited, joyous AND A FULL FIVE STARS !!!
Rating: 5 Stars
Willie And The Wheel is a great new CD release from ten time Grammy Award winning Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel. Asleep At The Wheel has won nine (count `em, nine) of their own Grammy Awards; and they all deserved every last trophy. The quality of the sound is excellent and that artwork is awesome! This is terrific music with catchy melodies and lyrics that are well written and performed. It's a BUY!
The CD begins with a wonderful tune called "Hesitation Blues." "Hesitation Blues" sounds terrific and I've never heard Willie Nelson singing better. Asleep At The Wheel also makes good and the music that goes with the vocals fits in perfectly for this opening tune. There's a great piano arrangement on "Hesitation Blues," too. "Sweet Jennie Lee" is a cute little number that has lots of pep and they deliver this with much enthusiasm. "Sweet Jennie Lee" has that country swing flavor to it that is infectiously catchy and "Sweet Jennie Lee" is a number I won't regret hearing over and over again! There's also "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None...;" this is a fun tune and they perform this with panache! "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None..." has some great guitar which works so well for this ballad. Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel complement each other's vocals to perfection--and beyond!
"Oh! You Pretty Woman" has a fast tempo but these pros never miss a beat--they handle the complicated tempo and key changes without a flaw. "Oh! You Pretty Woman" puts these artists squarely front and center--right where they belong. "Oh! You Pretty Woman" is easily a major highlight of this CD.
"Right or Wrong" even highlights Ray Benson from Asleep At The Wheel; and what a number this is! Country swing never sounded so good. You can tell these guys really know what they're doing; and I really like "Corrine Corrina." I believe I've heard "Corrine Corrina" before but I just can't place where I heard it--but it's no matter, they put their stamp on this ballad with their excellent diction and their wonderful sense of timing. "I'm Sittin' on Top of the World" features Willie singing with the magnificent Elizabeth McQueen of Asleep At The Wheel; Elizabeth has a voice as clear as a bell and that's grand. I also like the guitar arrangement for "I'm Sitting On Top Of The World."
"South" also features Vince Gill and Paul Shaffer for a rousing melody; and the album ends very well with Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel performing "Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon." "Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon" swings with a country flavor that makes it quite pretty and I love it!
Overall, Willie Nelson joins forces with other artists on this CD including Asleep At The Wheel to make this one of their best releases yet. It's exciting that Willie and Asleep At The Wheel all sound so strong despite the passage of time; and I sincerely believe that they will be around for a long time to come, sharing their talents with us!
Thank you for these incredible songs, everyone!
Music Review: Bring It On Down, Wille and The Wheel
Rating: 5 Stars
Willie Nelson has once again found his forte. Willie has combined with the best Western swing band, Asleep At The Wheel, for a joyous romp through 12 tracks of classic American swing. You will find yourself smiling', stompin' your feet, clappin' your hands and singing along with the group.
Willie and his friends sound like they are having such a good time that we can't help but enjoy ourselves. This is one of the best CD's of the year. It is said that Jerry Wexler the rock n roll impresario tried to bring Willie and the Wheel together many years ago and finally realized his dream just before Wexler's death last year.
Willie and the Wheel start out with 'Hesitation Blies' and right away we know this is sumthin' great. The fiddling is the best there is, along with Willie's voice.
'Right or Wrong' Willie sings along with Ray Benson of the Wheel- this is the old time western dance hall songs from the 1940's.
'You gotta 'Fan It', cool it, fan it till the cows come home'- how often do hear this kind of lyrics that give you the picture of life down home.
'Bring It On Down To My House' is one of those tunes that lighten our steps and brings joy to the old bones.
'Corrine, Corrina' the old time song we all know is one of the better renditions around.
'Im Sitting On Top Of The World' sung with the Wheel's Elizabeth McQueen is a honky tonk send up that could be my favorite.
Vince Gill and Paul Schaffer introduce 'South' but it is Eddie Rivers that brings the song on home.
'Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon' brings us the sense of joy and fun to be had on this CD- a mix of jazz, blues and swing, it has it all.
Asleep At The Wheel has helped Willie connect with his inner Bob Wills, and the best of Willie's sounds. The fiddles, piano, and steel guitar bring this CD to life. Willie has never sounded better, and the Wheel has added the vibrance that brings this CD the feisty, swing sounds. Can't you see the couples whirling around the dance floor? Willie and the Wheel have brought us all down to the heart of Americana. My best friend found this CD-he was correct as always, this CD rocks!
Highly Recommended. prisrob 02-10-09
One Hell Of a Ride (4-CD Box Set)
Reinventing the Wheel
Music Review: Magic
Rating: 5 Stars
Asleep at the Wheel has long been the most successful in a large number of bands concerned with keeping Western Swing music alive and fresh. Willie Nelson's connection to Western Swing is a little more elusive, and many people would be surprised to learn that his second Liberty album, "Here's Willie Nelson" (1963) was produced by Tommy Allsup, a veteran of the late Bob Wills Texas Playboys. That album not only contained covers of two Bob Wills classics, Right or Wrong and Roly Poly, it also boasted liner notes by Bob Wills himself. Thus the idea of pairing Nelson with the Asleep at the Wheel sound is one that is long overdue. Better late than never, as they say, and I dare posture that these wonderful tracks come closer to emulating the sound of early classic Western Swing than anything that either Willie Nelson or Ray Benson and his band have yet managed on their own. From the opening of the first track, right up to the end, Willie and the Wheel capture the magic sound that has kept fans of this music swinging for over 75 years.
In particular, Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon, which Willie Nelson recorded years ago on his Over the Rainbow album (which in turn was a follow-up to his mega-selling Stardust record) is a Western Swing jam-session that, like the name Western Swing implies, blurs the lines between country and Jazz. This track may easily confuse the uninitiated listener to the point where they will be scratching their heads trying to classify it, even as they try to keep their toes from tapping. The blend of jazz and country western (emphasis on western) is an aspect of this particular brand of music that has satisfied my craving for good music for a very long time.
These 12 tracks represent the dream and brainchild of the legendary producer Jerry Wexler, who wanted to record an album of Willie Nelson doing classic Western Swing for Atlantic records, but Willie left the label for Columbia before the idea came to fruition. In the past (I don't want to admit how many years) I have acquired a lot of records of both Willie and, later, Asleep at the Wheel, but I suspect this one will stay on the top of my play list for both artists for a long time to come. Pure magic - scoop it up!
Music Review: (4.5 stars) WILLIE AND THE WHEEL... DEFINITELY DELIGHTFUL !
Rating: 5 Stars
Willie and the Wheel (2009) brings Willie Nelson together with Western swing veterans Asleep At The Wheel, and the pairing is as natural as a bowl of hot Texas-style chile and an ice-cold Lone Star beer. Good stuff!
Originally the brainchild of legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler back in the 1970s, the project was put on hold until 2007 and finally completed just after Wexler died on September 18, 2008. Jerry Wexler is listed as the album's executive producer.
Simplified, Western swing is Dixieland jazz played by singing cowboys with fiddles, horns and pedal-steel guitars. Of course, it's a little more complex than that, but for the purpose of this review that's a pretty good description of the comfortable music that you'll find on Willie and the Wheel.
Willie Nelson sings the lead vocal along with AATW's Ray Benson and Elizabeth McQueen, who at times trade vocal phrases with him. Most of the songs here are Western swing standards made famous years ago by legends such as Bob Wills And The Texas Playboys. Willie and Elizabeth duet on the bluesy I'm Sitting On Top Of The World, an album highlight and probably my favorite here.
But now she's gone, I don't worry
I'm sitting on top of the world
There doesn't seem to be a lot of worry anywhere on this album; but while the atmosphere is relaxed and sunny, the production is mindfully professional. Asleep At The Wheel know their way around when it comes to Western swing, and Willie sounds like he's right at home, too. Vince Gill and Late Night's Paul Schaffer join AATW for the album's instrumental, South.
Willie and the Wheel is an easy-going, tuneful and modern journey back to the classic days of Western swing with Willie Nelson leading the way. And as usual with Willie, it's an enjoyable ride.
Music Review: Willie & The Wheel - Buy It Now! YeeeeeHawwwwww
Rating: 5 Stars
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.
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 personalities.
I was fortunate to see this tour last week and let me tell you, it was a foot stompin', dancin' in the aisles kind of night! Ray Benson and his "large band" (the line-up augmented by the addition of a two-piece horn section and the incredible 14-year-old Ruby Jane Smith on second fiddle) played their own style of Western Swing and then Willie joined in for over 90 minutes of what can only be termed "Willie Style" down-home music. It was really a treat to see these musicians.
If you are a fan of Western Swing - GET THIS CD!! An early contender for Album Of The Year (yes, it's that good)!