Shaver The World Rolls On (New West)

Shaver

The World Rolls On (New West)

The world rolls on, and nothing stays the same. Billy Joe Shaver's had a mighty rough spell the last few years, and this last album with his son Eddy, who died of a drug overdose last December, couldn't be a better coda to their time together. It's recorded perfectly, Eddy's raucous guitar playing never having had more sting to it, and Billy Joe's lyrics just phenomenal. That'd be enough to make it a hell of an album, but it's so much more than just that; most of The World Rolls On is as emotionally raw as an exposed nerve, Billy Joe and Eddy's relationship laid bare for the world to see. Consider "Blood Is Thicker Than Water," with Eddy's line "I saw you pukin' your guts and runnin' with sluts when you was married to my mother." Billy Joe manages to work it around his spirituality and turn "Blood" into a song about redemption, the gentle quality of Eddy's voice making it even more poignant. The song's clear-the-air lyrics lead perfectly into "Star in My Heart," Billy Joe's wistful souvenir of Eddy. The younger Shaver's guitar work is never better than on "Sail of My Soul," a Texas-style blues workout, and on the roadhouse swagger of "It's Not Over Till It's Over." "Leavin' Amarillo" has Billy Joe doing some venting ("Screw you, you ain't worth passin' through"), ranting about "Amariller," then turning his attention to Lubbock ("Lubbock's got some good folks in it, but they all dead"). The playing, the sequencing of songs, and the writing are about as close to perfect as one can get, and if you're not moved by it, you probably ought to get yourself to a doctor. The world rolls on, and sometimes the best you can do is pick yourself back up and roll with it.