Warren Zevon: Life'll Kill Ya

Five years after his last proper album, Warren Zevon has emerged from self-proclaimed semi-retirement sounding reinvigorated and singing songs about sickness and death. Probably the most mortality-minded record since Lou Reed's Magic And Loss (or at least Eels' Electro-Shock Blues), Life'll Kill Ya features a Zevon fully in command of the gifts evident in his classic '70s work, most notably a sardonic sense of humor tempered by a melancholy sense of humanity. "I Was In The House When The House Burned Down," a highlight originally written for David Crosby, opens the album with a song about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it's the title track that sets the tone, suggesting that everyone ends up in such a place eventually. Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade's unadorned production allows the focus to fall solely on Zevon and his songs, which is as it should be, particularly when the songs are as strong as these. "For My Next Trick I'll Need A Volunteer," for example, showcases Zevon's wicked, self-lacerating wit, but there's also a poignant streak that runs throughout Life'll Kill Ya, particularly on "I'll Slow You Down," the medical lament "My Shit's Fucked Up," and a mournful cover of Steve Winwood's "Back In The High Life" that makes the oddball choice of material seem appropriate. Zevon may sound sadder than ever, but he wears his sadness well, helping make Life'll Kill Ya a welcome return from a great songwriter.