Okay, okay. There are a couple of weak spots on this CD. And WZ's latest release -- _Life'll Kill Ya_, an absolutely brilliant CD that represents his best work since 1987's _Sentimental Hygiene_ -- blows _Mutineer_ out of the water.

But let me put in a good word for this one too. No, it's not what longtime WZ listeners have come to expect, but that's sort of the point -- hence the CD's title. And yes, it's got a lot of gooshy synthesizer on it rather than the crisp sound of a backing band. Frankly, for the most part, I don't especially like its production.

But on the other hand, if WZ had waited to take this thing into the studio, it would probably never have been released at all. This is a home-studio recording, gang, and it's supposed to be. It's sort of a personal note from WZ to his fans. And his real fans will accept even his mutinous rebellion against our expectations, right?

And whatever I think about the production, the songs themselves are mostly brilliant. Not _Life'll Kill Ya_ brilliant, but at least _Transverse City_ brilliant. (Yes, even the clown song.)

A handful of highlights: WZ's fishing buddy Carl (_Striptease_) Hiaasen contributes lyrics to "Seminole Bingo" and "Rottweiler Blues"; WZ gives us a bit of autobiography in "Piano Fighter" (also released on _Learning to Flinch_ in a live, piano-only version), a tune that will be of interest to fans of "Mama Couldn't be Persuaded," as far as I know WZ's only other strictly autobiographical song; and everything is more or less explained by the title track, a surprisingly intimate number which closes the CD almost as a sort of thanks-for-listening-this-far to his loyal fans.

There are a few guest musicians, too. No, not Waddy Wachtel -- but WZ's own extensive and sometimes blistering guitar work has been mistaken for Wachtel's by at least a couple of auditors. Plus, Bruce Hornsby contributes accordion to a couple of tracks; Rosemary Butler adds vocals on a couple others; David Lindley and Larry Klein and Peter Asher drop in too. It's mostly nice work.

So while I wouldn't recommend this CD to somebody who didn't already know WZ's other work, I'll still plug it for those among his listeners who haven't bought it yet. If you're new to WZ altogether, start somewhere else (I suggest _Warren Zevon_, _Excitable Boy_, and _Sentimental Hygiene_). But do come back to this one; it's taken more abuse than it deserves.

Hey, congratulate me: I just wrote an entire review of a Warren Zevon album without once using either the word "mordant" or the word "sardonic." Rock music press, take heed :-).

A lot of people dislike this album because of the lack of a band and some of the keyboard effects on show.I go the other way entirely; MUTINEER show's Warren Zevon as an instrumentalist par excellence,needing only a couple of "guest players" to round off the sound.The lyrics are up to(in some cases,surpassing)The Zevon level of acheivement.Give MUTINEER a few listens;then place it prominently in your treasured CD collections.

SEMINOLE BINGO - Let this be a warning . . .never play a game of bingo in Florida;it could get hazardous to your health!Witty classic kicks the album off in fine style."Down in the swamp with the 'gators and flamingos . . ."

SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO A CLOWN - Just goes to prove that even a clown can suffer a broken heart.Zevon's synth work is magical here,with calliope,horns and elephant noises really giving the desired "circus effect".I can't understand for the life of me why some fans loathe this track.

SIMILAR TO RAIN - A messsage for anyone falling in love . . .it can turn on you in an instant if you don't see the signs.The harpsichord sounds evoke the "fairy tale scenario" of the first verse.Zevon in tender mode here.

THE INDIFFERENCE OF HEAVEN - A Zevon classic.Most of us live our lives making our own decisions without major input from the almighty.It's better to accept it without complaint or jubilation.Great backup singing Rosemary Butler.Love the jab at the "blue collar champions" like Springsteen and Joel who were promising better times.Acoustic guitar and synthesiser sound perfectly mated here.

JESUS WAS A CROSS MAKER - I must admit I'm listening to this track now and I'm still stumped at the lyics.Love the gospel tinge to the backup vocals and Bruce Hornsby's great accordian touches.

POISONOUS LOOKALIKE - Ever had a lover suddnly do a unexpected major change to his/her personality.Apparently "Little-Miss-Gun-To-A-Knife-Fight" has got Warren so confused that he "can't tell the salt from the wound".Sly lyrics help the "Raga + Rock" feel to get across.

PIANO FIGHTER - This dude loves to play anywhere and anytime.There is large dollops of autobiographical material in the lyics:"Worked in sessions and I played in bands","Cut a single and it made the the charts","I must admit that I was strung out and faded in the middle of the room".Another Zevon classic with brilliant keyboard work;but then with a title like PIANO FIGHTER,what else did you expect?

ROTTWEILER BLUES - Warning . . .do not try to sell girl scout cookies to this man!Rocked up song with lyrical bite(all pun intended!)about the lengths some people will go for home protection.

MONKEY WASH DONKEY RINSE - After the appocalypse,we can still boogie in the center of the earth!This track,although filler, is still good fun with a middle Eastern flavour.

MUTINEER - If you're looking for an way out your boring lifestyle join Captain Zevon and Crew for a cruise to who knows where.Great nautical/pirate imagery and the music sounds like we are on a boat,skimming on the water."Grab your coat,let's get outta here!"

"Mutineer" contains some great Zevon songs. "Seminole Bingo" is a funny story of a "junk bond king" who falls for bingo in Florida. "The Indifference of Heaven" tells us the story of a life where "nothing is left but the sound of the front door closing forever." "Piano Fighter" starts us off with a toy piano and has fun describing a man addicted to making music no matter what. These great tunes are surrounded by some odd tales of unhappy clowns, pirate symbolism that just isn't clear to me, and finally "Monkey Wash, Donkey Rinse" which appears some sort apocalyptic statement that I'm willing to admit left me puzzled. Worth it for the good stuff.

Put simply, Mr. Zevon has matured with a dignity and grace that most artists will never achieve. The album has a markedly different feel to any other of his LPs, but the Zevon bite is still very present. It might actually be his best work.

The casual Zevon fan may be put off by this project at first - nothing like his work in the 70's or 80's. It barely resembles his 90's output. But we must remember that people change and Warren is no exception.

He's no longer the fresh eyed somewhat successful singer/songwriter of the 1970's or the empowered recovered alcoholic. While he was never a victim, he did admit to being out of control. He's reconciled with himself and the results are here in songs that pendulum from deeply personal to lightly topical.

Everyone knocks "Something Bad Happened to a Clown". Why? It's just a joke, kids. He never meant it to be serious.

Some of the airy instrumentation is lost on the listener and is used to ill effect - Similar to Rain and Jesus was a Crossmaker are downright silly in places.

But he is still a rocker, and he shows it in the opening track Seminole Bingo and the semi autobiographical Piano Fighter.

The real reason to get this album is the title track, Mutineer. Themes of ocean travels and pirate ships pop up in one's mind when it's being played. His invitation "Grab your coat, let's get out of here" is one most Zevon fans would be glad to take advantage of.

Sadly, this is his most recent album, and this is a poor example of the depth of Zevon's work. It can be easily skipped in favor of other albums, especially the anthology "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".