Although country and honky tonk songwriter and singer Billy Joe Shaver never achieved the same fame as Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, for example, he is highly regarded in the country world as the creator of standards such as I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train and Good Christian Soldier. In addition, he has always been a devout Christian. His faith was dramatically tested when he lost his mother,
… wife, and son within 18 months. Everybody's Brother is a raw country gospel album produced by John Carter Cash. The lord is extended on this but nowhere exuberantly praised, as if evil is never far away. The disbeliever is doomed and 'get thee behind me Satan', Shaver sings to the listener in a weathered voice. Prominent guests such as John Anderson and Kris Kristofferson assist him in this. The bare and essential production makes these gatherings of mature and lived country artists sound like chatting on a porch somewhere in the Wild West, where evil is exorcised by singing and praising. A convincing and intriguing album. (MR)more
