AMERICANA
BY SYLVIE SIMMONS
Various
★★★★
Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver
NEW WEST. CD/DL/LP
A fine tribute to one of the great Outlaw Country songwriters.
If you’re going to make a Billy Joe Shaver covers album it had better be good. During his lifetime, which ended two years ago at age 81, he was covered by Waylon, Willie, Cash, Kristofferson and Elvis. Thankfully this is really good. Produced by Charlie Sexton and former Shaver collaborator Freddy Fletcher, its 12 songs – among the Texan’s best known – are sung lovingly by some of the best around. Willie Nelson sets a high bar with opening song Live Forever, which features Lucinda Williams on backing vocals, equal parts tough and poignant. My only beef is that Williams – unlike Miranda Lambert, Edie Brickell, Allison Russell, Margo Price and Amanda Shires – didn’t get to sing lead. Price’s heartbreaking Ragged Old Truck, Shire’s Honky Tonk Heroes and Lambert’s Old Chunk Of Coal are among the highlights, along with George Strait’s Willy The Wandering Gypsy And Me and Rodney Crowell’s gorgeous Old Five And Dimers Like Me.