The Wind

Warren Zevon created "The Wind" as he was dying from cancer. On it, he is caring, rebellious, and he considers the feelings of those left behind. Never is he mournful or frightened. As part of the creation of this album, Zevon gathered many of his close friends and family together to help him record. Among the numerous musicians who appeared to help him, Billy Bob Thornton can be heard singing in the bridge for "Keep Me in Your Heart." This song is probably the saddest point on the CD, as Zevon explains the irreversibility of death, and the duties of the leaving to hold the dead "in their hearts for awhile." That last word may even suggest that moving on, and even forgetting, is natural and part of life. Other parts of the album are still rebellious rockers, but colder and darker. On songs like "Prison Grove," Zevon's voice, which sounds haggard, creaks through the music like wind through the bars of a cell. "Disorder in the House" and "Rub Me Raw" are two bluesy rockers, in which Zevon's voice adds another edge. This is a fitting album for Zevon's legacy, and is really an exposure of himself in death.