Ray Benson - Beyond Time

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:32
Size: 106.6 MB
Styles: Country
Year: 2003
Art: Front

[3:32] 1. Sorry
[3:48] 2. Annabelle
[4:10] 3. Mary Anne
[4:50] 4. Hands Of Time
[2:57] 5. Isn't It Strange
[2:49] 6. Let's Get Lost
[4:17] 7. Haven't Gotten To You Yet
[2:40] 8. Leave That Cowboy Alone
[4:39] 9. Small Town
[5:12] 10. El Paso
[3:00] 11. Ain't Chet Yet
[4:35] 12. Clearin' Up

Most people know Ray Benson as the deep, rich voice of Western swing revivalists Asleep at the Wheel. After more than three decades behind that wheel, Benson finally decided to step out with an album of his own songs. While a couple of the tunes (the roadhouse blues stomp "Mary Anne," the Bob Wills-indebted "Leave that Cowboy Alone") wouldn't sound out of place on an Asleep at the Wheel album, the bulk of the songs run quite a bit further afield. It's hard to imagine Benson's band tackling the Don Williams-like 1970s-sounding country/pop of "Annabelle," the big-band ballad "Sorry," or the (non-Western) swing-inflected, jazzy "Let's Get Lost" (not the Chet Baker tune of the same name). It's also hard to imagine someone without as much experience, confidence, and just plain talent as Benson pulling off such a varied and resolutely non-commercial record as this in the lowest-common-denominator world of 21st-century American popular music.

Beyond Time

---

Asleep At The Wheel - Still The King: Celebrating The Music Of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:09
Size: 160.6 MB
Styles: Country, Western Swing
Year: 2015
Art: Front

[1:11] 1. Texas Playboy Theme (Feat. Leon Rausch)
[3:29] 2. I Hear Ya Talkin' (Feat. Amos Lee)
[2:29] 3. The Girl I Left Behind Me (Feat. The Avett Brothers)
[4:05] 4. Trouble In Mind (Feat. Lyle Lovett)
[3:30] 5. Keeper Of My Heart (Feat. Merle Haggard & Emily Gimble
[3:17] 6. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (Feat. Kat Edmonson & Ray Benson)
[2:54] 7. Tiger Rag (Feat. Old Crow Medicine Show)
[3:05] 8. What's The Matter With The Mill (Feat. Pokey Lafarge)
[3:04] 9. Navajo Trail (Feat. Willie Nelson & The Quebe Sisters)
[3:25] 10. Silver Dew On The Bluegrass Tonight
[4:18] 11. Faded Love (Feat. The Time Jumpers)
[4:14] 12. South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) [feat. George Strait]
[2:43] 13. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You (Feat. Elizabeth Cook)
[2:30] 14. My Window Faces The South (Feat. Brad Paisley)
[3:35] 15. Time Changes Everything (Feat. Buddy Miller)
[2:35] 16. A Good Man Is Hard To Find (Feat. Carrie Rodriguez & Emily Gimble)
[3:23] 17. Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas (Feat. Robert Earl Keen & Ray Benson)
[4:18] 18. Brain Cloudy Blues (Feat. Jamey Johnson & Ray Benson)
[2:39] 19. Bubbles In My Beer
[2:52] 20. It's All Your Fault (Feat. Katie Shore)
[4:01] 21. Twin Guitar Special (Feat. Tommy Emmanuel, Brent Mason, & Billy Briggs)
[2:23] 22. Bob Wills Is Still The King

Technically, it's been 16 years since Asleep at the Wheel last saluted Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys -- with 1999's Ride with Bob, recorded for the short-lived DreamWorks Records -- but it's never like Ray Benson's ensemble ever strayed far from Western Swing. Their first album in 1973 was chock-full of Wills standards and their last, 2010's It's a Good Day, showcased former Texas Playboy Leon Rausch, so Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys is squarely in the group's comfort zone. Fortunately, Asleep at the Wheel never sound too comfortable on this generous 22-track tribute. Part of that is down to the decision of Benson and company to construct Still the King as an outright party, inviting old and new friends to sit in and sing both classics and nuggets from the deep Wills songbook. Having star after star take the center stage keeps things lively, particularly because the guest list is sharply balanced between old friends like Merle Haggard, George Strait, and Lyle Lovett -- fellow disciples of Wills, one and all -- with newer roots acts like the Avett Brothers, the Old Crow Medicine Show, Kat Edmonson, the Time Jumpers, and Elizabeth Cook. Everybody is welcome, no matter if it's Jamey Johnson slurring his way through "Brain Cloudy Blues" or Brad Paisley running roughshod across "My Window Faces the South," or Carrie Rodriguez and Emily Gimble joshing through "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," and it's fun to hear Asleep at the Wheel accommodating each of their styles. This casual versatility points out who the real star of the show is, though: it remains Benson's group, whose way with Western Swing has only grown more soulful over the years. Clearly, Asleep at the Wheel draw sustenance from the music of the Texas Playboys, finding life within these old songs, and their love remains infectious and palpable after all these years. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Still The King

---

Asleep At The Wheel - Ride With Bob

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:02
Size: 137.4 MB
Styles: Country, Western Swing
Year: 1999
Art: Front

[3:38] 1. Bob's Breakdown (Feat. Vince Gill)
[3:01] 2. New San Antonio Rose (Feat. Dwight Yoakam)
[3:31] 3. I Ain't Got Nobody (Feat. Don Walser)
[3:14] 4. Roly Poly (Feat. Dixie Chicks)
[3:25] 5. Heart To Heart Talk (Feat. Lee Ann Womack)
[3:22] 6. Cherokee Maiden (Feat. Ray Benson)
[2:40] 7. Maiden's Prayer (Feat. Squirrel Nut Zippers)
[3:13] 8. You're From Texas (Feat. Ray Benson)
[2:41] 9. Right Or Wrong (Feat. Reba McEntire)
[4:26] 10. Faded Love (Feat. Lyle Lovett)
[4:33] 11. St. Louis Blues (Feat. Merle Haggard)
[2:46] 12. End Of The Line (Feat. Jason Roberts)
[3:08] 13. Take Me Back To Tulsa (Feat.Clay Walker)
[5:51] 14. Milk Cow Blues (Feat. Ray Benson)
[2:57] 15. Stay All Night (Feat. Ray Benson)
[2:49] 16. Bob Wills Is Still The King (Feat.Clint Black)
[4:38] 17. Going Away Party (Feat. The Manhattan Transfer)

Asleep at the Wheel devoted its entire career to Western swing, which is commonly known as the music Bob Wills created. They became the standard bearers for the genre, making sure that it was still an integral part of the country music mainstream. Since their entire career feels like a living monument to Wills, it almost seems unnecessary for them to record tributes to the "King of Western Swing" -- that is, until you hear the records. Ride With Bob, their sequel to the award-winning Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills, has more guest appearances than its predecessor, but it's every bit as enjoyable. The fact of the matter is, Asleep at the Wheel played this music better than anybody else at the close of the century, and these are some of the greatest songs in popular music -- "New San Antonio Rose," "Roly Poly," "Cherokee Maiden," "Right or Wrong," "Faded Love," "Take Me Back to Tulsa," and "Stay All Night" always sound fresh, and the band draws out excellent performances from Dwight Yoakam, the Dixie Chicks, Ray Benson, Reba McEntire, Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin, Clay Walker, and Mark Chesnutt, respectively, on these songs. It's a testament to both the group and the songs that nobody here -- not the Squirrel Nut Zippers or Manhattan Transfer -- sounds out of place. This is warm, generous, rich music that's endlessly listenable, much like Wills himself. And the Clint Black-sung cover of Waylon Jennings' tribute "Bob Wills Is Still the King" is a nice touch. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Ride With Bob

---