Warren Zevon

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Download The Wind

The Wind is like an X-ray with a dark shadow that shouldn't be there and can't be ignored. Recorded after Warren Zevon was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in 2002, it sounds like the work of a guy who's still fighting, but also starting to wrap things up. Although Zevon is best known for his poison-dart wit, he's always been a bit of a softie, too. It's no surprise, then, that The Wind leans heavily on irony-free ballads such as "She's Too Good for Me", "El Amor de mi Vida" and "Please Stay". But there's also a dose of defiant blues ("Rub Me Raw") and plenty of dirty slide guitar, courtesy of Ry Cooder and David Lindley. (Other guests include Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne and Dwight Yoakam).

If the lyrics generally lack the literary precision of Zevon's best work, the songs take on greater weight given the circumstance under which they were recorded. Heard in 1983, a party-hearty anthem such as "The Rest of the Night" would've sounded like yet another dumb argument for hedonism and "Numb as a Statue" might have come off as the self-lacerating joke of an alcoholic unable to deal with his emotions directly. However, on The Wind, these songs are genuinely touching, the work of a guy deadened by meds but unwilling to surrender to The Big Sleep just yet. A cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is the album's most direct comment on Zevon's fragile health, but the most touching song is the album-closing acoustic ballad "Keep Me in Your Heart", recorded by Zevon at home after the star-studded studio work was complete. Clearly, Zevon survived one hell of a farewell party last night, but now its morning again and there's no telling what the rest of the day might bring. --Keith Moerer

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Tracks:
Dirty Life & Times	Donwload	Lyrics
Disorder in the House	Donwload	Lyrics
Knockin' on Heaven's Door	Donwload	Lyrics
Numb as a Statue	Donwload	Lyrics
She's Too Good for Me	Donwload	Lyrics
Prison Grove	Donwload	Lyrics
El Amor de mi Vida	Donwload	Lyrics
The Rest of the Night	Donwload	Lyrics
Please Stay	Donwload	Lyrics
Rub Me Raw	Donwload	Lyrics
Keep Me in Your Heart	Donwload	Lyrics