Back To The Future Now: Live At Arizona Charlie's
A quarter century ago, the members of Asleep at the Wheel were young Western swing enthusiasts trying their best to imitate such heroes as Bob Wills and Milton Brown. Now Ray Benson and his dozens of bandmates--past and present--are the seasoned heroes of the genre, and a new generation of young Western swing fans look to Asleep at the Wheel for clues. Two of those youngsters, Nashville stars Tracy Byrd and Wade Hayes, pay their respects in the form of guest vocals on the new Asleep at the Wheel album,Back to the Future Now. This live album isn't the best record the group has ever made, but it may be the best single-disc introduction. Not only do Byrd and Hayes provide a way into the music for younger fans, but most of the band's best-known songs plus three Wills tunes are reprised. More importantly, several key members of Asleep at the Wheel's legendary 1975-'78 lineup return to the fold for a one-night, school-of-swing reunion. Vocalists LeRoy Preston and Chris O'Connell once again sing their signature numbers, "My Baby Thinks She's a Train" and "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" respectively. Founding steel guitarist Lucky Oceans trades slippery licks with current steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar on Wills'S "Fat Boy Rag," and pianist Floyd Domino comes back to rattle the ivories on Moon Mullican's "Cherokee Boogie." Tony Garnier (heard more recently with Bob Dylan) slaps out a walking bass line on Wills'S "Roly Poly." Even if you aren't familiar with the band's long, convoluted history, Benson introduces most of the songs with half-comic, half-affectionate stories that fill in the details.--Geoffrey Himes