THE veteran American singer-songwriter made this album when he was suffering from inoperable lung cancer.

He had died by the time of its release in this country, giving his final work an undeniable poignancy. Yet this is far from being a gloomy outing because Zevon faces up to what's coming in robust and humorous style, while also coming up with some deeply affecting images. Take the first song, an upbeat rock song propelled by a burst of Ry Cooder slide guitar, with its opening line: "Some days I feel like my shadow's casting me", which is a perfect image of decline. Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door has never been more sadly pertinent, while the closing Keep Me In Your Heart is a rough and tender thing of beauty, a personal farewell that is moving without being maudlin. As Zevon puts it in She's Too Good For Me: "I could hold my head up high and say that I left first/ Or I can hang my head and cry."

Updated: 09:01 Thursday, November 13, 2003