The Highwaymen - The Road Goes On Forever

Once upon a time four of the greatest country music singers in the world got together to produce an album. They were good buddies, and each in their own way had rocked the country world more than once, but they didn't know they'd do it again when they all sang together. They did three albums together. This one was number three, and it's celebrating its tenth anniversary with this brand-new edition.

I felt a tremendous surge of sorrow and irony as I listened to the second track on this disc, which is Billy Joe Shaver's incredible "Live Forever." Two of the four Highwaymen have left us in the last few years: Waylon Jennings in 2002, and Johnny Cash in 2003. But their voices live forever here, with buddies Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, as The Highwaymen. The road indeed does go on forever and the party never ends.

I already had this disc, but it was worth getting for the bonus tracks, including Waylon's witty and acerbic "I Ain't Song" and Johnny Cash's solo acoustic take on the Shaver "Live Forever." Also included is the never-before-released "If He Came Back Again," truly a wry commentary on today, even pitched from ten years ago.

Great classics never go out of style. The Highwaymen, individually and together, have produced some of the greatest country music ever recorded. Between the four of them, they practically ARE country music. There's only one problem with this disc, and it's a marketing problem rather than anything wrong with the music. Next month they're going to release this material AGAIN, this time in a limited edition with DVD extras. Frankly, I'd wait on purchasing it until the DVD is out. There may never be another Waylon or Johnny, but as long as we have these discs we'll always have a part of 'em. The party never ends.