It breaks my heart any time that a young, talented musician dies
\nwhile they’re in their prime, no matter what the cause of their
\ndeath might have been. Often, that pain I feel is multiplied
\nbecause the world hasn’t awakened to recognize their talents while
\nthey were alive, and only through their deaths will their gifts be
\nrecognized and posthumously honored.<\/p>\n
At the outset of the 20th Century, guitarist Eddy Shaver died at
\nthe age of 38. With his father, legendary country music artist
\nBilly Joe Shaver, the two had recently recorded some of the best
\nroots music I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, on the albums
\nVictory<\/i> and
\nElectric Shaver<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The group Shaver’s latest release,
\nThe Earth Rolls On<\/i>, serves as a final tribute to the talents
\nof Eddy Shaver, but more importantly, it showcases the absolute
\nartistry father and son had, and why Billy Joe Shaver has
\nrightfully become a master of this genre.<\/p>\n
Take the opening track, “Love Is So Sweet,” for instance.
\nProbably not something you’d expect from a country music legend,
\nthis two-minute blast of adrenaline is as rock-oriented as anything
\nyou’d expect to hear on the radio today. Billy Joe Shaver’s
\nweather-worn vocals only add to the power and mystique of the
\ntrack, and it sets the pace for what turns out to be arguably
\nShaver’s best album yet.<\/p>\n
Whether it’s the acceptance of all life has to throw at you
\n(“The Earth Rolls On”) a loving tribute to one who was lost before
\nwe were ready to say goodbye (“Star In My Heart”), the recognition
\nof the power of family ties despite the hardships that come with
\nthat kind of relationship (“Blood Is Thicker Than Water” –
\nfeaturing a powerful lead vocal from Eddy Shaver) or a pimp-slap
\nagainst an area which has done you wrong (“Leavin’ Amarillo”),
\nThe Earth Rolls On<\/i> is a disc that welcomes the listener with
\nopen arms and guides them through a roller coaster of emotions.<\/p>\n
But don’t take this album as a farewell to Eddy Shaver, who
\nappears throughout most of the disc on lead guitar. Instead, many
\nof the album’s heart-wrenching songs were Billy Joe Shaver’s
\ngoodbye to his late wife. Sadly, Eddy Shaver’s death only hammers
\nthese messages home.<\/p>\n
And if you’re impressed with the kind of singer and songwriter
\nthat Billy Joe Shaver is, you’ll be in tears recognizing the talent
\nthat was lost with Eddy Shaver’s death. Listen to the electrifying
\nsolos on “Evergreen Fields” and the drawn-out guitar licks which
\nclose “The Earth Rolls On,” and wonder aloud why this young man
\ndidn’t become an absolute superstar in any genre. Listen to his
\nvocals on “Blood Is Thicker Than Water,” and realize you’re
\nlistening to a carbon copy of his father, albeit without the years
\nof experience and hard living giving them an edge. Then, cry that
\nwe lost him too soon.<\/p>\n
\nThe Earth Rolls On<\/i> would have been an album that would have
\nearned my highest praise even if Eddy Shaver had lived to tour
\nbehind it. As it was, it was magnificent. And tragically, Eddy
\nShaver’s death only makes the album that much more powerful. If you
\nhave never discovered the music of Shaver, or you want to add to
\nyour collection of Billy Joe Shaver’s recorded work,
\nThe Earth Rolls On<\/i> is a must-own – and is easily the best
\ndisc I’ve listened to all year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7412],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-39521","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-shaver","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/39521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=39521"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=39521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}