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.