''Better Times'' is an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

band

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American Western swing group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more t ...

. Recorded at Bismeaux on the Hill and Moonhouse Studios, it was produced by the group's frontman

Ray Benson Ray Benson (born Ray Benson Seifert, March 16, 1951 - October 31st 2022) i Western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United St ...

with Sam "Lightnin'" Seifert, and was released on May 28, 2021 by Benson's own label Bismeaux Productions. ''Better Times'' is the group's first release to feature steel guitarist Flavio Pasquetto, who replaced Eddie Rivers in 2019.

Background

According to Asleep at the Wheel frontman

, the title track of ''Better Times'' was written "after nearly a year of this pandemic", referring to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, which he likens to "a war with an invisible enemy". Benson performs lead vocals on the track; fiddler Katie Shore performs lead vocals on "All I'm Asking"; and the pair duet on "Columbus Stockdale Blues". The band performed "Better Times" at Benson's "birthday bash" during the 2021

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

festival in Austin, Texas.

Track listing

Personnel

Asleep at the Wheel *

– guitar, vocals, production *Katie Shore – fiddle, vocals *Flavio Pasquetto – steel guitar *Dennis Ludiker – fiddle, mandolin, backing vocals *Josh Hoag – bass *John Michael Whitby – piano *David Sanger – drums Guest performers *Ginny Mac – piano, accordion *

Floyd Domino Floyd Domino is an American musician known for his work in the genre of Western swing. Biography Born a native of California, Domino was introduced to Western swing by way of the musicians who had migrated from Texas and Oklahoma in the 1930 ...

– piano *Jason Baczynski – drums *Joey Colarusso – saxophone *

Chloe Feoranzo Chloe Feoranzo (born 1992) is an American clarinetist, saxophonist, and vocalist who has been performing professionally since the age of 15. Born in Rhode Island, she grew up in San Diego, where she played in youth orchestras and pit bands, along ...

– clarinet Additional personnel *Sam Seifert – production, engineering, mixing, guitar *Curtis Clogston – engineering *Chris Gage – additional engineering, piano *Eric Conn – mastering *Ellie Newman – art direction *Brooke Hamilton – photography

References

{{Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel EPs 2021 EPs