It's a Good Day - by Asleep At the Wheel

by Jim Poulton

Asleep at the wheel? Not really. This band has been going 100 miles an hour since they began, and they’ve still got their eyes on the road straight ahead.

A combination of jazz, big band, boogie, country and swing – and all you’ll want to do is dance to it. Impeccable musicians, blazing licks, soulful vocals, and a toe-tapping beat that doesn’t stop until the last dog has left the house.

After their 2009 collaboration with Willie Nelson (Willie and the Wheel), Asleep At the Wheel has launched yet another winning collaboration – this time with Texas Playboy vocalist Leon Rausch. Rausch, for those of you living in a closet who don’t know about the Texas Playboys, was the lead vocalist for Bob Wills and his Playboys from 1958 until their final concert in 1986. His smooth, smoky voice and Texas twang fits Asleep At the Wheel like a your favorite worn-in boots. His rendition of Cliff Bruner’s Truck Driver’s Blues with Willie Nelson is an instant classic – the two sound like they’ve been on the long-haul all their lives and know all about the low-down new-to-town-and-leaving-tomorrow lives of truckers.

Alright, OK, You Win – a duet between Rausch and Wheel relative newcomer Elizabeth McQueen – is a remake of the old classic. Big shoes to fill – the song has been done by Count Basie and Joe Williams, Peggy Lee, Bobbie Darin, Ella Fitzgerald – but they did it. McQueen’s crystal-clear voice is sultry and clean as a clarinet all at the same time, a perfect counterpoint to Rausch’s raspy Louie Armstrong vocal. The guitar and piano breaks come at you like Carl Sandburg’s fog – on little cat feet: they’re understated, light as a feather, and heartfelt.

No review of the Wheel is complete without mentioning the leadership of Ray Benson, the founder and leader of the group for 40 years. Benson has guided this group through the ups-and-downs of contemporary music, always with a steady hand and a sure ear. This album (their 25th or so) is no exception – a hip and finger-snappin’ addition to the band’s ever-expanding oeuvre.

Listen to selections, and buy tracks, here or here.

For those of you interested in Asleep At the Wheel's history, here's a great video of the band doing Cherokee Maiden (1999). Notice the cameos by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, the Dixie Chicks, and Lyle Lovett.