Even though he passed away barely over two months ago, and even after reading all the tribute columns penned in his honor, as a music fan, I know literally nothing about Warren Zevon or his musical career, save for his kooky 70s hit Werewolves of London.

I'm not saying that to make myself look like a giant tool, because quite frankly, Zevon was an artist I just never found the time to really explore at all. I am only one man, who loves so many bands, who cannot possibly listen to everything by every single artist, no matter how much he desires to.

Before he passed, I had decided a while ago that I would give his final album, The Wind, a whirl once the library got it in (I'm not sure but I think that if he hadn't died, they never would have). The reviews on it were stellar, and the guests, all good friends of Zevon's, including Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, just made it all the more essential to listen to and see how it was.

The Wind is an album of eleven songs that range from humbling to haunting to just plain defiant. Some people may especially find Zevon's cover of Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door to be a chore to listen to, not because this version is bad (it's quite good), but because it's rather unsettling hearing anyone sing this song when you know that they had only months to live when they recorded it. Of course, I've come to read that this was just Zevon's brilliant sense of irony and his more dark sense of humor coming to light, and honestly, I feel this performance is brilliant. And there is no single moment in music in 2003 more likely to raise the hair on the back of your neck than hearing Zevon plead "open up, open up, open up, open up for me" over the last chorus.

What perhaps makes The Wind so successful as an album is that it is not, as some may have expected, an album full of sad and mournful goodbyes. Rather, it moves from slower, more reflective songs to songs that do nothing other than celebrate life, to the point of utter defiance. The best example of this is The Rest of the Night, which musically has a bit of kick to it but what has the most kick is Zevon's voice, which along with some backing work from Tom Petty, rages on ("Seven o'clock, eight o'clock, nine o'clock ten, you wanna go home, why honey when? We may never get this chance again!").

Disorder in the House could be about any amount of things, although there's all too many references here to make me think it isn't anything but an attack on Shrub in the White House ("the big guns have spoken, and we've fallen for the ruse"). This time, it's Springsteen lending a helping hand on vocals, not to mention some fiery guitar work.

I love the quote that opens up Numb as a Statue ("let's do another bad one, I like it when the blood drains from Dave's face," a nod to guitarist David Lindley who appears throughout the album), and the simple piano medley proves to be a nice counter to the bluesy wails from the guitar.

Zevon succesfully tackles the blues here as well though. Prison Grove is almost hymn-like in spots, but so much of it is rooted in the blues, especially in the vocal performance. Also of note is the pure blues jam Rub Me Raw, which is probably the single dirtiest sounding song of 2003. Even Please Stay, with it's short but heart wrenching saxophone solo, has a bit of a blues touch to it's more country base.

But perhaps the centerpiece of the album are it's two end-pieces. The opening Dirty Life and Times (with Don Henley on the drums) is a solid country/blues song that finds Zevon sounding vulnerable if nothing else. Besides, who can't love the line "she's from say-one-thing-and-mean-another's-ville?"

The closing Keep Me In Your Heart, meanwhile, is a simple acoustic number that finds Zevon sounding worn down, tired, but more than anything, hopeful. It is that hopeful, even youthful spirit that permeates this entire disc, and makes it such a joy to listen to. It is Zevon's goodbye to everyone who loved him ("hold me in your thoughts, keep me in your dreams, touch me as I fall into view, when the winter comes keep the fires lit, and I will be right next to you"), and it is one of the most gorgeous songs ever written.

Certain morons have stated that if not for Zevon's condition, he never would have gotten the reviews he did for this album. Right now, I'd like to call bulls*it on that. If not for Zevon's condition, I don't know if we'd be lucky enough to have this album. Sometimes, we need a reminder that good can come from bad. If nothing else, The Wind is a reminder that sometimes bad can be the impetus for the creation of something so good, that even when the bad happens, we can wrap ourselves in the good and insulate ourselves from it.

My name is Matt, and I might not know much about Warren Zevon's career...but I know good music when I hear it. Warren Zevon may be gone, but his final album will live forever in the annals of rock music history, not just as a great album, but as the finest album released in the year 2003.


These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam, keep me in your heart for a while...




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