POP MUSIC REVIEW : Slapshtick Western Swing Sways Crazy Horse Crowd

The music was consistently clean and lilting. And swapping lead vocals on some tunes, harmonizing on others and doing both on still others, the trio sang smoothly and expressively.

Swapping lead vocals on some tunes, harmonizing on others and doing both on still others, the Riders’ singing was smooth, expressive and pretty.

Performing Monday at the Crazy Horse on a bill that might be called the Prepositional Phrase Pairing, Riders in the Sky and Asleep at the Wheel brought a new twist to an old saw: It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that Western swing. And a little humor can’t hurt, either.

Actually, there was more than a little humor--especially in the case of Riders in the Sky. It is no surprise that the Nashville-based trio is venturing into radio and has already been peripherally involved with the movies by playing hosts for old Westerns on cable TV’s Nashville Network.

But given the threesome’s considerable comedic flair, enormous musical/vocal talent, powerfully breezy charm and sweeping demographic appeal, the Riders may be best suited for another medium. Or put another way: Somebody get these guys a real weekly TV show.

They could be TV’s Smothers Brothers of the late ‘80s (the Brothers themselves are having trouble filling that role). And the Riders are ready to tape; you could have hauled cameras into the Crazy Horse on Monday, simply turned them on and wound up with the first episode (or two) of their new variety show.

Opening the early set with a scooting, soaring version of “Texas Plains,” the trio--fiddler Woody Paul, acoustic guitarist Ranger Doug, stand-up (and we do mean stand-up ) bassist Too Slim--was off and riding, trading lead vocals with spirited precision.

Just in the course of that tune, the group quickly established warm rapport with the audience, working in cheerful greetings, including references to the Crazy Horse; moments after finishing the song, they had taken care of the band introductions--and the first set of laughs. (Is this great TV already, or what?)

It is a tribute to the Riders’ charisma and skill as entertainers that they made the band-intro bit, and most of the other routines, sound fresh and spontaneous--even though they have repeated them countless times and even captured many of them on their recent live album, “The Cowboy Way.”

It helps that the humorous pieces are sharply written to begin with, then often spruced up with a current reference. Toward the end of a long but pretty funny bit starring Too Jaws, a talking horse skull (who claims to know Mr. Ed), Too Slim noted: “Boy, the writers’ strike has been hell on this routine.”

Not really. Though they would need a writing staff for the TV show we are proposing, the material they already have is good. It is also an added bonus, considering that this is really a musical act. And a fine one.

Whether performing half-joking originals, like the zippy instrumental “Concerto for Violin and Longhorns” or “Cowboy Classics”--including the inevitable “Ghost Riders in the Sky”--these guys were swinging. The music was consistently clean and lilting. And swapping lead vocals on some tunes, harmonizing on others and doing both on still others, the trio sang smoothly and expressively.

If it sounds like the Riders would be a tough act to follow, you can say that again, Buckaroos and Buckarettes. Unfortunately, Asleep at the Wheel had to, but ultimately came out OK, largely because the band boasts a significantly different sound and approach.

Like the Riders, Asleep travels through Western swing territory. Bob Wills’ name and music popped up during Asleep’s hourlong set, and plastered on an amp behind guitarist-lead singer Ray Benson was a bumper sticker that read: “Western Swing Ain’t Dead, It’s Asleep at the Wheel.”

With a seven-piece lineup that includes piano and saxophone, as well as fiddle and steel guitar, the band can go a lot of directions--and did. Early in the show, for instance, the band flew through a raw, rollicking version of “Route 66,” then moved into a swell, bop-she-bop rendition of “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” that is scheduled to appear on the group’s next album.

For all this variety, the group generally cranked out feisty, muscular music--a bit short on subtlety and a bit long on multiple solos. These downsides were softened by the amiable humor of Benson, though toward the end of the set he overdid it with some slapshtick involving juggling and balancing his hat on his nose.

But overall, Asleep’s high-voltage set was a nice complement to the Riders’ understated performance; a good, swinging time was had by all--bands and audience alike.