The Envoy (Reissue)

Confession: I didn't find Warren Zevon until it was too late. Like a lot of people, I didn't know who the hell he was until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. When it was revealed that Zevon was dying, and STILL recording one last album...the media went nuts. Suddenly, a genius who'd been overlooked most of his career had fame. While that may seem sad, it was actually perfect. You see, for most of his professional life, Zevon had been taunting death. Actually, Zevon sucker punched death over and over again, then kicked death in the face. In the end, however, death always wins...but Zevon got the last laugh. He turned tragedy into his greatest work to date (THE WIND, his final and best album...I can't bring myself to buy it because I cry every time (EVERY TIME) I hear "Keep Me In Your Heart" and "The Wind"). Anyway, I got caught up in the feeding frenzy surrounding Zevon's final days. I didn't realize that I'd been hearing Zevon all my life. His biggest (and only) radio hit "Werewolves of London" had haunted many a Halloween party I'd attended. I never knew who that black guy was who sang the song...but I loved it. Turns out that "black guy" was a nerdy white Jew named Warren Zevon. Anyway, Zevon died and I bought his Greatest Hits album GENIUS (yes, his balls were that big). I technically stole it, because I bought it with funds related to my bookstore's demise (a tale worthy of Zevon's murderous-criminal "story songs"). From there I've been a follower of all things Zevon. A friend of Jackson Browne (who got him a record deal), Zevon stands out among the other 70s singer-songwriters because of his wit and black humor (I'm talking midnight black people). Though his songs could be biting and cynical, Zevon's true nature emerged on his love songs. Truly Zevon was the best kind of romantic--the hopeless variety. "Reconsider Me" is probably the best love song EVER. A mixture of 'I love you' and 'I'm sorry I hurt you, I'll try to not do that again' there is a fine mix of pain and joy (the essence of love). "Let Nothing Come Between You" is another good one, about the difficulty of staying in love when you live in a world that likes to quell and quash that noble feeling.

I only recently heard "Let Nothing Come Between You." You see, Zevon's catalogue is a bit...shall we say neglected? All that is about to change, however, thanks to the good folks at Asylum records who have decided to re-release all of Zevon's work...including a couple that have never been on CD. And that brings me to THE ENVOY, an album I've owned for about five months now...on vinyl. I found a copy for $4.99 at Vintage Vinyl...thus bringing me a step closer to Zevon-nirvana. THE ENVOY is a pretty average album for Zevon. It pains me to write that too, because I know this will be the only opportunity for me to write a "new" review of a Zevon record...but I have to be honest, it's really not his best work. And if you've never heard of Zevon, I wouldn't recommend you start with this one. That said, for obsessive fans like me, their are some gems to be enjoyed. The before-mentioned "Let Nothing Come Between You" and the rockin' "Charlie's Medicine" are two stand outs. The restless "Looking For the Next Best Thing" is also on THE ENVOY (which I first heard on the Greatest Hits CD). THE ENVOY was written during a turbulent time for Zevon, so he can be forgiven for the records overall uneven texture. The throwaway track "Hula Hula Boys" (which is a joke of a song...but I don't need to tell you that, you've read the title) sits next to serious-ish songs like "Jesus Mentioned" and "Let Nothing..." Things like that bug me a bit, I'm an album freak and I tend to put a lot of significance on song order...this seems like it was randomly slapped together (except for the frist and last track of the album which act as two emotional bookends...I get to that later). But overall THE ENVOY is all over the place, this goes for the quality of the writing too. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the songs are either pretty good or just alright. The albums got about two or three songs I feel I really needed to hear...the rest are kinda forgettable.

The title track, "The Envoy" is scarily topical (despite being written in 1981). All the political problems in the Middle East are laid out exactly as they are today...which as a student of history, scares the crap out of me (I guess that problem is never going to get better). This pessimistic song opens the album...but that album's final track "Never Too Late for Love" provides the listener with a little boost...and I'm left wondering, which Zevon is real. The rogue from "The Overdraft", the cynical soothsayer in "The Envoy," or the desperate lover in "Let Nothing Come Between You" and "Never Too Late For Love"? This question has a lot of importance to me personally because I share (like most people) a lot of Zevons quirks of character. Are we all pessimists with optimistic streaks, or is it the other way around? Is that glass half full or empty? Maybe there is no right answer, I guess it doesn't really matter. All tha matter is when I listen to Zevon sing "...don't stop believing in tomorrow" I believe him (and in him).

Like I said, THE ENVOY is a decent album by a fantastic artist. As an artifact of Zevon I give it a million stars, but realistically, I'd say it's only a three star effort. I would encourage anyone who likes Dylan or Springsteen to stop and give Zevon a listen. Zevon doesn't do the exact same thing those guys do, but if you like extremely literate, thought provoking lyrics or songs that tell a story...then you owe it to yourself to listen to Warren Zevon. I suggest you do what I did and pick up GENIUS. Maybe you'll fall in love and seek out THE ENVOY eventually.

Jason gives THE ENVOY a B-

Note: THE ENVOY was released on March 27, 2007 on CD. The special edition CD contains four bonus tracks my vinyl copy doesn't have...this alone might make it worth the purchase for serious fans.