Flatlanders Wheels Of Fortune CD

WHEELS OF FORTUNE is the Flatlanders' second reunion album, following 2002's NOW AGAIN, and it's the sound of a band finally falling into their groove, more than 30 years after their initial split. NOW AGAIN had arguably been dominated by Jimmie Dale Gilmore's lyrics and vocals, but on WHEELS OF FORTUNE, Gilmore's cohorts Butch Hancock and Joe Ely are more assertive with their own material, offering tracks like the wry country stomp of "I'm Gonna Strangle You Shorty" and the country-rock strut of the opening "Baby Do You Love Me Still." Steve Wesson's musical saw, an integral part of the original Flatlanders sound, makes a most welcome return here, adding that hint of strangeness that's always been a key part of the Flatlanders' mystique.

3rd Rel.By Jimmie Dale Gilmore ,Butch Hancock,Joe Ely.

Recorded at Spur Studios, Austin, Texas.

Personnel: Joe Ely (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, keyboards, percussion); Butch Hancock (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Jimmie Dale Gilmore (vocals, acoustic guitar); Rob Gjersoe (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, resonator guitar, dobro); Mitch Watkins (guitar, 12-string guitar); Lloyd Maines (steel guitar); Joel Jose Guzman (accordion); Chris Searles (drums, percussion); Steve Wesson (musical saw).

Recording information: Spur Studios, Austin, TX.

Photographers: Matthew Fuller; Butch Hancock.

The Flatlanders: Joe Ely (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, 12-string guitar, keyboards, percussion); Butch Hancock (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Jimmie Dale Gilmore (vocals, acoustic guitar).

Additional personnel: Rob Gjersoe (acoustic & electric guitars, Resonator guitar, slide guitar, dobro); Mitch Watkins (electric guitar, 12-string guitar); Lloyd Maines (steel guitar, dobro); Joel Guzman (accordion); Gary Herman (bass guitar); Chris Searles (drums, percussion); Steve Wesson (musical saw); Tony Pearson (background vocals).

Rolling Stone (1/22/04, p.72) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "Just one year after their stunning three-decades-in-the-making comeback album, [the Flatlanders are] still riding high....the group's trad-country is crisp and decorous..."
Spin (4/04, p.94) - "[T]he tender, playful longing of 'Wishin' For You' is so sublime it hurts..." - Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly (1/23/04, pp.100-1) - "WHEELS is near perfection....With jarringly good songs from three different pens, this is country at its elemental best, equals parts whimsy, passion, and revelation." - Rating: A-
Q (3/04, p.102) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he old magic is still there on the sublime 'Neon of Nashville' and a reworking of Hancock's 'I Keep Wishin' For You'."
Mojo (Publisher) (2/04, p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Guitars glow, characters shine, egos dim. It's Buena Vista Social Club with banjos (and a musical saw)."