My Ride's Here

My Ride's Here

Warren Zevon has always been one of the most literate songwriting storytellers. Thus, it makes sense that <I>My Ride's Here</I> (the title refers to the vehicle the Grim Reaper might drive) comes in the form of a cool rock-literary crossover. Zevon once used novelist Thomas McGuane as a collaborator; here, he employs the considerable talents of Hunter S. Thompson, Carl Hiaasen, and sportswriter Mitch Albom (of <I>Tuesdays with Morrie</I> fame) to aid in his satiric little gems, and he's hit a grand slam this time out. "Basket Case," the Hiaasen collaboration, is the ultimate music/book tie-in, sardonically performed in the metallic style of the Slut Puppies, the band in Hiaasen's bestselling mystery novel <I>Basket Case</I>. "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared," the Thompson collaboration, is a dark, bluesy, philosophical vamp, but it's Albom's humorous "Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)"--featuring guest vocalist David Letterman(!)--that ultimately steals the CD. Not that Zevon banks solely on his book-writing buddies. "Sacrificial Lambs," a cynical (but sadly true) look at modern celebrity; "MacGillycuddy's Reeks," an authentic-sounding Irish folk parody; and the Dylanesque hallucinations of the title track all prove the once excitable boy is still in fine shape. <I>--Bill Holdship</I>