Wheels of Fortune

While the Flatlanders' previous Now Again was more of a collaborative revelation--from the shared writing credits to the vocal harmonies--here the West Texas trio of Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore engage in a song swap. Each of the three puts his stamp on material from the others.

Among the highlights, Ely brings his bluesiest edge to Gilmore's "Midnight Train" and a buoyant Tex-Mex lilt to another Gilmore tune, "Go to Sleep Alone." Gilmore returns the favor by applying his trademark warble to Ely's propulsive "Back to My Old Molehill" and Hancock's "Wishin' for You." For his part, Hancock renews Ely's early "Indian Cowboy" ballad and Gilmore's "Deep Eddy Blues." Throughout their solo careers, these veteran troubadours have recorded material by his fellow Flatlanders and their reunion reinforces that kinship.

There may be fewer surprises this time through, but the generous selection of material brings out the best in all three. --Don McLeese