Warren Zevon
My Ride's Here
Artemis Records
Two years ago, Warren Zevon returned from rock oblivion with Life'll Kill Ya, an album marked by the sad resignation and troubled wisdom that represented Zevon's best output since the 1978 classic Excitable Boy. He's now followed Life up with My Ride's Here, a less inspired but more rocking disc that features songs co-written by famous sportswriters and anti-establishment journalists, guest appearances by late-night legends and hip pop-culture references to Russell Crowe, Charlie Sheen, Charlton Heston and "Smokey and the Bandit."
In general, My Ride's Here isn't as consistently strong as Life'll Kill Ya, but there are certainly high points on the new release. The CD opens with a flat-out rocker "Sacrificial Lambs," that contains shades of "Lawyers, Guns and Money." And on "MacGillycuddy's Reeks," Zevon paints a picture of heartbreak that rivals earlier Zevon greats like "Carmelita" and "Accidentally Like a Martyr." As the song's protagonist lies in a hospital bed, his lost love hovers over him: "But she gazed only at my chart / The valleys and the peaks / Brought back the time she broke my heart / In MacGillycuddy's Reeks."
The poignant "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared," co-written by Hunter S. Thompson, also slings potent psychological darts: "We have ways of making you talk / You won't like at all / If you can't run, walk / If you can't walk, crawl / But don't look down / It's a long, long fall."
But the most curious song on the new disc is "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)," co-authored by award-winning sports journalist Mitch Albom and featuring musical support from bassist extraordinaire Tony Levin and "Late Show" goofball Paul Shaffer. In fact, the album's drumming was performed by Anton Fig, who normally plays in Shaffer's "Late Show" band, and even Dave Letterman himself can be found croaking out backing vocals on the album.
"Hit Somebody!" tells the tale of Buddy, a Canadian farmboy who was playing hockey by the age of nine. Buddy eventually makes a career out of being a goon who starts fights and beats up opponents. His one true desire is to score a goal, just one goal. He does in the end.
But unlike Buddy, My Ride's Here doesn't pack enough punch. At times the disc reverberates with power and emotion, but not as much as Zevon's best work.
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