9

Luscious Love Songs

The promo for 'Romantic Genius' mostly constituted of VH1 playing the video for 'She's Too Good For Me' every half hour on Valentine's Day; hopefully this sickening advertising won't have put you off. Warren Zevon was a 70's legend and this posthumous collection is a tender delight full of heady charm, Warren's voice is like that of a silkier Bruce Springsteen, with the same gravely American honesty underneath.

The album kicks off with bright rock ballad, 'Searching For A Heart', it's full of carefully placed chords design to affect you when combined with the echoey drums and sighing backing vocals. 'She's Too Good For Me' is a soft, flowing lament design to warrant the use of tissues, while 'El Amor De Mi Vida' has a gentle Spanish chorus, which flows like honey from Zevon's lips. 'Laissez Moi Tranquille' is another foreign language tune with a kooky electric guitar rhythm, which picks up the pace.

There's finally something a little more uplifting with the arrival of 'Tenderness On The Block', which merges warm piano chords with electric guitar solos in a catchy tune. 'I'll Slow You Down' continues to have a more decisive feel with a guitar riff, which repeats through the entire song and becomes instantly stuck in your head.

'Hostage-O' is a slow intimate piece broken up by a sweeping flute accompanying the love-laboured climax. 'Macgillycuddy's Reeks' is a play on a merry folk song with a buoyant rhythm, proving that Zevon was able to adapt to pretty much anything. 'Please Stay' is, as one would expect, a pleading lullaby that soothes you with sultry saxophone, before 'Keep Me In Your Heart' finishes on a definite note with a positive acoustic guitar buzz.

Warren Zevon was certainly an accomplished artist, but this album is a very specific affair that's unlikely to please anyone who doesn't delight in all things romantic; after 12 tracks it all becomes a bit too much for the casual listener, which is a shame.