Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, “Willie and The Wheel” (2009)

Willie Nelson certainly has worked in more unexpected contexts lately — not least of which was his thoroughly surprising and just as thoroughly enjoyable turn alongside Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center.

There have also been other, occasionally unfortunate duets with pop singers, reggae guys, and rappers, too. So, yeah, “Willie and The Wheel,” a recording with Western swing preservationists Asleep at the Wheel, bursts with the warm feelings of homecoming.

“Sweet Jennie Lee,” the amusing “I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None ‘O This Jelly Roll,” Bob Wills’ familiar “Bring It On Down to My House” and the fiddle-driven “Right Or Wrong,” for instance, follow the larger band’s easy-going syncopations.

It’s sweetly nostalgic, lightly grooved, always a great time. But, and this is odd for Willie Nelson lately, no real surprise.

Sure, Nelson’s most recognizable sound — a high warble that lives a bit behind the beat, all jazz even with the country content — isn’t all that far away from Western swing, the jumping hillbilly string music that swept through the American Southwest during the Great Depression era of the 1930s and ’40s. That’s no doubt why this project was first proposed more than 30 years ago.

Legendary producer Jerry Wexler wanted to make “Willie and The Wheel” when both bands were under contract with Atlantic Records. Before the idea came to fruition, however, Nelson left for another label and it was shelved.

Still, settling for a rote retelling might have sated the folks pining for Wills’ signature sound. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting as Nelson’s more recent collaborations, even his failed ones. He’s become one of his generation’s most interesting recording artists by untying the seams that bind his influences — then exploring where those legacies eventually led.

Which is why I was so thrilled to find that “Willie and the Wheel” continues this fascinating journey, with an important assist from Asleep and its frontman Ray Benson.

Wider influences for both principal artists are plumbed on this superlative 12-track set — beginning with the opener, “Hesitation Blues” (embedded below during a performance on the David Letterman show). It’s a skittering joy, recorded in Dixieland time and featuring a call-and-response lyric in the Delta style.

“Sitting on Top of the World” (this cool boozy remake with Asleep vocalist Elizabeth McQueen) and a countrified “Corrine, Corrina” go deeper into the blues canon, marrying the two principal influences in American popular music.

“Fan It,” a brassy juke, charms in the style of a New Orleans sidestreet marching band, but (of course) with a frisky steel guitar solo by Eddie Rivers. “Shame” and Bennie Moten’s instrumental “South,” the latter including Paul Shaffer and Vince Gill, sound like a trip east out of Texas down I-20 — featuring both turnrow picking and a gravelly R&B soul.

At 75, Nelson’s off-kilter (for country) phrasings — not to mention his equally off-kilter musical sensibilities — end up belatedly finding a perfect foil in the note-perfect professionalism of Asleep of the Wheel. By turns reverent and then rambuntious, “Willie and the Wheel” is a very fun ride.

Somewhere, Wexler — who passed while the sessions were underway — is kicking up his heels.