Warren Zevon

Romantic Genius: The Love Songs (Rykodisc)

The Love Songs is such an unlikely title for a collection of work by the legendarily barbed Zevon that you half-suspect the very suggestion of it laid down the gauntlet for the compilers. And sure enough, the witty, world-weary sighs of ‘Hostage-O’ and ‘I’ll Slow You Down’ would be very unlikely choices for the standard slushy moon-in-june Valentine’s Day mix-tape. But Zevon was capable of much more than a biting putdown, and ‘El Amor De Mi Vida’ and ‘Keep Me In Your Heart’ – both of which were recorded when he knew that he was suffering from terminal cancer – are sincere, haunting expressions of affection.