Product Review

Billy Joe Shaver's finest songs prowl (Hard To Be an Outlaw) and punch (Music City USA) with welterweight fury. Evidence: The leg- endary outlaw's seamless Long in the Tooth. Shaver's first studio album in six years showcases a singular songwriter in absolutely peak form as he unearths his trademark truths around every corner. This is the best album I've ever done, he says.
Long in the Tooth charts his journey as an unrepentant outlaw. Accord- ingly, Shaver delivers the classic country fans expect but also brings all new sonic tricks this time around. Each song is different with differ- ent beats and different kinds of music, he says. Songwriting is gut wrenching, but if you dig down and write real honest you'll find some- thing real great. I believe everybody should write. It's the cheapest psychiatrist there is and, God knows, I still need one.