I really didn’t expect to end up reviewing this disc.<\/p>\n
Y’see, it was just a few months ago that I reviewed the Warren
\nZevon tribute album
\nEnjoy Every Sandwich<\/i>, featuring an all-star cast
\ninterpreting some of Zevon’s best-known tunes. Thus, while I
\nappreciated my friend Mark Doyon (Mr. Wampus himself) laying a copy
\nof his label’s Zevon tribute album on me, I had to ask myself what
\nnew insight could possibly be forthcoming from a second such album,
\nsimilar in many ways, but featuring generally more obscure song
\nchoices interpreted by generally more obscure independent
\nartists.<\/p>\n
After a couple of listens to
\nHurry Home Early<\/i>, the answer hit me like a self-administered
\nwhack in the forehead. Tribute albums aren’t so much about the
\nartist being honored, or the artists honoring that person. They’re
\nabout the songs themselves. And Warren Zevon left behind one hell
\nof a songbook.<\/p>\n
By turns caustic, reflective, raucous and brilliantly funny,
\nZevon used the entire emotional palette to paint bold strokes on
\nhis sonic canvas. From the prideful iconoclasm of “Splendid
\nIsolation” to the gentle entreaty of “Mutineer,” this disc covers a
\nhuge amount of that tonal ground. And thanks to the relatively
\nanonymous names involved, you never get wrapped up in the novelty
\nof, say, Adam Sandler singing “Werewolves Of London.” You hear the
\nwords, you feel the music, you experience the song, unfiltered by
\nexpectations of any sort.<\/p>\n
Which allows you to fully appreciate things like Last Train Home
\nimbuing “Desperadoes Under The Eaves” with a rich, determined
\nalt-country swing; the Simple Things giving a jangle-rock kick to
\n“I’ll Slow You Down”; Tom Flannery delivering a version of “Boom
\nBoom Mancini” that’s as stripped-down and close to the bone as its
\nworking-class hero narrative; and The Matthew Show offering a
\nmoody, lilting take on “Mohammed’s Radio.” (Side note: is it just
\nme, or is Simple Things lead singer Jimmy Catlett a dead ringer
\nvocally for Zevon pal Don Henley?)<\/p>\n
The other highlight comes near the end, with the one-two punch
\nof Brook Pridemore wrapping his sharp-edged voice and acoustic
\nguitar around the bitter brilliance that is “Life’ll Kill Ya,” and
\nRobbie Rist following that with a snarling romp through “Mr. Bad
\nExample” (“I’m very well acquainted with the seven deadly sins \/ I
\nkeep a busy schedule, tryin’ to fit ’em in \/ etc.”). It’s
\nnasty-greasy rock and roll at its very best.<\/p>\n
I can’t say every cut here is a smashing success — there are a
\ncouple of tries that feel a little uninspired or off-track — but
\nall in all, it’s a very solid set. And the previously unrecorded
\nnugget “Warm Rain” — a gentle, melancholy ballad presented by
\nSimone Stevens and Warren’s son Jordan Zevon — makes for a welcome
\nbonus (“Dry thoughts for a wine-dark day,” goes the best line).<\/p>\n
The bottom line is, any songwriter with the balls and chops to
\nrhyme “Spokane” with “naughahyde divan” without missing a beat
\ndeserves as many tribute albums as the music world can cook up.
\nKeep ’em coming, boys and girls!<\/p>\n