It's nice to come home to Tom Petty again. His wry, wizened voice is something sorely missing in today's Top 40 radio. His latest CD, Highway Companion, is like a familiar friend stopping by that you haven't seen in years. It's not cutting edge; it's just darned fine tunes by a master of the pop song.
Highway Companion has what much of Petty's most recent work has lacked – hooks. It's his best CD since 1994's wistful Wildflowers. Since then, Petty's put out some kind of uninspired stuff – the sleepy Echo (1999) and the bitter The Last DJ (2002). But he's clearly got his focus back with Highway Companion, which befitting its title has the rambling feeling of the soundtrack to a never-ending road trip. It's Petty near his peak.
Petty's been cruising along with top-notch Americana rock ever since he broke through 30 years ago with his first album with his band, The Heartbreakers. Fifty million records sold and 18 records on, Highway Companion is Petty solo without the Heartbreakers, but it's still full of his distinctive voice. It's a bookend to the more orchestrated introspection of Wildflowers, and has a questing, thoughtful feel. It's also produced by Jeff Lynne, his Traveling Wilburys bandmate and producer of some of Petty's greatest discs, Full Moon Fever and Into The Great Wide Open.
The distinctive jangle of longtime Heartbreaker Mike Campbell's lead guitar grounds the album with friendly, open riffs. (Campbell also co-produced Highway Companion with Lynne.) The first single, "Saving Grace," kicks off the album in fine style, with a propulsive feel that sets the stage for the rest of the disc. The gorgeous "Square One," which first appeared on the soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown last year, is a fine gentle ballad that feels like a companion to Petty's earlier track "Wildflowers."
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
Well done, Nik. You have caused my anticipation for this album to increase exponentially... again. This is the album I am most looking forward to this year and I cannot wait to get my copy.
2 - Timmy
Popular music has definitely seen better days than today. Petty is one of the few dinosaurs who don't embarass the Rock genre by putting out mediorcre garbage every couple of years. Lynne is a genius, see Xanadu.
3 - DJRadiohead
I have gotten to hear about half of it now. I like it. A lot.
4 - Tim
Petty at his best again, a real legend
5 - Connie Phillips
This article has been placed at the Advance.net websites, a site affiliated with about 12 newspapers.
One such site is here.