Asleep at the Wheel has been reviving western swing music for almost forty years and Willie Nelson has been playing, well, just about every type of music (except maybe rap) for well over forty. The two acts come together on February 3 to salute the western swing sound on Willie and the Wheel .

Ray Benson told the 9513 - Willie s our lead singer, and we do all the Western swing stuff and I mean the old stuff. Milton Brown, Cliff Bruner, Spade Cooley, Bob Wills. It s got Willie, the Wheel, and some horns. It s gonna be pretty cool.-

In a separate interview with Live Daily, Benson explained the origins of the album - Jerry Wexler originally came up with this concept back when Willie was on the Atlantic label but before the record could be made, Willie left Atlantic for CBS Records and so the idea was shelved.-

Jump ahead to 2007 when the Wheel went out on the Last of the Breed tour with Nelson, Ray Price and Merle Haggard. Wexler went to one of the shows and started pushing to do the album again.

- Jerry wanted us to do this album and I'm glad we got to do it for him, and that he heard it before he passed on,- Nelson said in a statement.

Benson says they are also planning a tour together starting February 11 in Red Bank, New Jersey. - Willie and I are cooking up quite a concert. Not only will we be playing songs from the new album, we'll also perform Willie's classics together with Asleep at the Wheel and a full horn section. There will be a few surprises too!-
- Vintage Vinyl News

2009-06-22 -- 4/5:: What A Pair!
Asleep at the Wheel and Willie aren't pushing to create an effect - this is relaxed country swing. Pros making what they do look easy. If you are looking for a high-concept, over-produced set, this isn't it. This album is as relaxed as sitting on the porch with a frosty glass.

Track 3 gives you a perfect sample of the attitude of the entire CD. If you like that one, you're going to like all of it.

2009-05-28 -- 5/5:: Nice
Very nice mix of Western Swing tunes from different artists. Willie does very well with this genre. The guest artists mix in well.

2009-05-23 -- 5/5:: The Wheel Kieeps Rolling
My wife heard this for the first time and ordered more western swing. Willie does a wonderful job with Asleep at the Wheel behind him. If you buy this and like it, go find some Bob Wills and see where it started or try some Hank Thompson and see where it went.

Good listening.

2009-04-26 -- 5/5:: Magic
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!

2009-04-20 -- 5/5:: Now, for something completely different.
Willie Nelson never ceases re-inventing himself. This CD is really County and Western, not folk, not bluegrass. If you buy it without thinking that Willie Nelson needs to be a certain style, you will love it. The group that backs him up is excellent, even though usually, I am not a C&W fan. Great CD, I love it.