(HighTone) Bill Kirchen has been guitar slinger (being a master of the Telecaster, his specialty), and road warrior for more than 30 years. While some people may not be familiar with his name, most should be familiar with a song from the 70's by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, "Hot Rod Lincoln." Those would be Bill's hot guitar licks you heard in that song. He spend nearly 10 years playing with Commander Cody, who's music combined rock, hardcore country, swing and rockabilly. Bill's spent his time since his Commander Cody days, playing with other bands and artists, and releasing several solo albums. Not one to be pegged into any one particular style, he's played a bit of everything.

On his third solo outing on the HighTone label, Tied To The Wheel brings Bill back to his hardcore country roots. The disc is a wonderful mix of covers and originals, and once again Bill surrounds himself with many of his friends, both songwriters and musicians. Blackie Farell contributes two more of his songs to this disc, Clay Blaker co-writes one, as does Bill's wife Louise. Long time friend Austin de Lone adds his keyboards to several tracks, Tommy Detamore and Commander Cody alumnus Bobby Black handle steel guitar duties, while Dudley Connell (Seldom Scene), Jack O'Dell and Johnny Castle contribute on vocals. 

Bill Kirchen has an affinity for trucking songs, and he offers up several here. The disc opens very appropriately with a resurrected Commander Cody chestnut, "Truck Stop At The End Of The World," which Bill refers to as a "post nuclear diesel-billy epic." He offers up classic Bakersfield with the Tommy Collins cover "Roll Truck Roll." The Clay Blaker co-penned "Hillbilly Truck Drivin' Man" is would've been classic yodeling Hank Williams. The title track "Tied To The Wheel" is a mournful trucker's lament.

Bill offers up a healthy dose of undiluted honky tonk, as on his outstanding high lonesome cover of "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," which features Dudley Connell joining him on lead vocals. "One More Hour Of The Blues" is a pure honky tonky shuffle, while "Trying To Turn Her Memory Off" is a two stepping gem. Bill covers an early Merle Haggard recording by way of Tommy Collins' "Prison Band."

The "odds & ends" include a great Western Swing tune, co-written with his wife Louise, "Quit Feeling Sorry For Yourself." Bluegrass gets a nod with the infectious "How Mountain Girls Can Love," with Jack O'Dell on lead vocal and Johnny Castle on high harmony. The instrumental "Poultry In Motion" is some chicken pickin' fun that showcases Bill's versatility and truly amazing talent on the fretboard. Tied To The Wheel closes out with an outstanding cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb Blues," that straddles a sort of "Texas Music" sound and flat out alt-country, yet is so strong a version that it blends in perfectly with the more hardcore/traditional fare Bill offers up on this disc.

Even after all these years, Bill Kirchen proves that as both a performer and his almost other-worldly skills on his old Tele, he's still a mighty big force to be reckoned with, one which many of today's new guitar slingers can learn a great deal from. Tied To The Wheel is Bill Kirchen's strongest release to date, one which fans of truckin' songs and those of just flat out good old honky tonk, will all find something to love about.