by Grant Britt
http://www.news-record.com
The smooth sounds of Western swing transformed War Memorial Auditorium into a 1940s Texas roadhouse Saturday night. Since 1970, Asleep at the Wheel has been keeping alive the music Bob Wills pioneered and popularized – a smooth blend of blues, jazz, pop and country, backed by a loping swing beat.
To bump things up a bit, the Wheel convinced Willie Nelson to ride along for a brief tour promoting their latest release with Nelson, “Willie And The Wheel.”
For the first hour, the Wheel rode solo. The 10-piece ensemble, led by founder/bandleader/guitarist Ray Benson, demonstrated they didn’t need star power to propel them, putting out seamless Western swing with smooth Wills interpretations of “Miles and Miles of Texas” and Cole Porter’s “Don’t Fence Me In.”
But like Wills, The Wheel’s ride rocks as it rolls. A boogie-woogie version of “Route 66″ and a speedy take on Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen’s “Hot Rod Lincoln” smoked the tires.
Nelson strolled out to the strains of “Whiskey River,” adding a few flamenco licks on Trigger, his battered Martin guitar. The Wheel took a back seat as Willie performed a speedy run-through of highlights from his enormous catalogue. Snatches of “Crazy” and “Night Life ” were more talked than sung. He was more melodic on “Georgia” as Mickey Raphael wailed mournfully behind him on harp.
Nelson sang more as he got into cuts from “Willie and the Wheel,” and the Wheel bounced back from a backing band to an up-front ensemble.
Nelson’s voice was still smooth as honey, despite all his years on the road inhaling diesel fumes. “Right Or Wrong” was vintage Wills, with Nelson singing full-out backed by Shamar Allen’s blistering trumpet. “Fan It” was a low-down blues, greased with slippery fiddle by 14-year-old fiddler Ruby Jane Smith.
The Wheel switched leads so fast the light crew couldn’t follow, the spotlight swinging wildly at times trying to catch the fleeting soloists.
After doing nearly half the new record, Nelson took back the show with his own material. The outlaw anthem “Pancho and Lefty” got a rowdy bunch on their feet shouting and whistling, but Nelson’s half-talked, half-sung, off-tempo version of “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” hampered the audience singalong.
Willie was a one-man-band on “Angels Flying Low to the Ground,” hands flying over his holy old guitar. “On the Road Again” brought the band back in again as equals, and he took on Benson in a funky guitar face-off on “Move It On Over” that rivaled George Thorogood’s rowdy version of the Hank Williams classic.
Nelson tossed his hat into the crowd, strolling offstage as the band surrounded him with the wall of sound that enhanced his performance as well or better than his own road band. But with the sheer force of his presence, Nelson reminded the audience that on this night, and on this tour, this Wheel revolved around Willie.
http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/02/23/article/review_wheel_revolves_around_willie_nelson