Were he still alive, Warren Zevon would be on a roll, scarcely able to believe the belated acclaim coming his way. Of course, plaudits came his way in life, but Zevon was the epitome of a cult artist, beloved more by critics and other musicians than necessarily a buying public. It’s fair to say his songs tended more to niche listeners, with a taste for the left field. That sure describes a lot of us here at Cover Me, and we have endeavored to keep his flame alight, in our own small way.
“Mr. Zevon had a pulp-fiction imagination,” said the New York Times, and they weren’t wrong. If his most celebrated song was about werewolves, that was not unique, as other songs were to celebrate, if that is the right word, child serial killers and headless mercenaries. With a penchant for the dark side, Zevon was unafraid to tackle the most unusual of inspirations, while at the same time being able to pen some of the tenderest and gentlest of love songs. Truly a paradox.
Now here is Keep Me In Your Heart, a double album containing a wide selection of his songs, covered by a large cast of peers and acolytes. Curated by Long Island record label Paradiddle Records, this set is populated more by jobbing musicians on that local circuit, rather than the bigger names that gathered for a tribute concert in L.A. last fall, or indeed, the ones on his earlier tribute album, 2004’s Enjoy Every Sandwich. As such there is allowed a greater scrutiny of the song and the performance, over any recognition of already established voices and styles. Having said, there are a few higher profiles present also, a memento of how well appreciated was Zevon as a writer, by his colleagues and contemporaries.
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