Billy Joe Shaver - Salt of the Earth

The fourth and last of Billy Joe Shaver's Columbia Records albums of the 1980s, Salt Of The Earth was the singer/songwriter's first album of all-new material in six years and his last recording for another six, making it by definition a pivotal album in his infrequent recording career. It effectively encapsulates his characteristic style, from the hard-rocking honky tonk of "Whiteman's Watermelon" to the gentle "Hill Country Love Song." Shaver's conflicted morality allows him to announce fervently that "You Just Can't Beat Jesus Christ," then follow that song with "The Devil Made Me Do It the First Time" (the inevitable punch line being, "the next time, I done it on my own"). Read More