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. Heard in 1983, a party-hearty anthem like '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. 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. (Other guests include Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, and Dwight Yoakam).

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. Although Zevon is best known for his poison-dart wit, he?s always been a bit of a softie, too. Recorded after Zevon was diagnosed in 2002 with inoperable lung cancer, it sounds like the work of a guy who's still fighting, but. The Wind is like an X-ray with a dark shadow that shouldn?t be there and can?t be ignored.

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