Asleep At The Wheel - Super Hits (1999)

A brief--barely half an hour--summation of Asleep At The Wheel's tenure at Arista Records, SUPER HITS is the sound of a band proudly out of step with the country music mainstream. This is clearly demonstrated in the group's version of Brooks and Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie," which shreds the original without breaking a sweat and would cause most people into line-dancin' songs to wet themselves in terror. Wisely, the set includes three live tracks, including a scorching take on their own "Black and White Rag" and a terrific reworking of Bobby Troup's "Route 66." The studio tracks lean more towards leader Ray Benson's originals than the group's albums usually do, showing that Benson's quietly become one of the best Western swing songwriters of all time.