Highway Companion

Tom Petty fans rejoice because he's back with his third solo studio album `Highway Companion.' The album consists of 12 tracks that are perfect for a road trip and live up to the classic guitar rock sound that fans of Petty have loved for years.

`Highway Companion' finds Petty once again teaming with musicians Jeff Lynne (who produced the album and was a member of the Traveling Wilburys band with Petty) and Mike Campbell (longtime guitarist for Petty and the Heartbreakers).

The album features a stripped down studio rock sound closer to the sound that Petty did on 1989's `Full Moon Fever' than the singer's follow-up solo album `Wildflowers' in 1994. All of the songs were once again written by Petty, and the singer/songwriter also played rhythm guitar, drums, harmonica, electric piano, bass, and lead guitar and provided lead and backing vocals on the album's various tracks.

`Highway Companion' (which Petty describes as being about the passing of time) is filled with the type of rock songs that one would expect from Petty, and never strays too far from the formula of song writing that made him a rock icon. It kicks off with the "blues heavy" track "Saving Grace" - with lyrics that set the tone for the whole album.

The song is simply the perfect way to start a rock album, and you will be in love with `Highway Companion' before Petty finishes the track. This is a heavy blues song filled with guitar riffs similar to "Running Down a Dream" or something off a Bo Diddley album. Petty keeps other parts of the album bluesy with tracks like "Jack," "Turn This Car Around," and "This Old Town."

"Flirting with Time" and "Down South" are reminiscent of work done by Petty and the Heartbreakers on albums like `Echo' and `Into the Great Wide Open.' Tracks like "Big Weekend" and "Ankle Deep" seem influenced by Petty's work with the Traveling Wilburys.

Petty then slows things down with tracks like "Square One" and "Damaged by Love" which features the songwriter's unique ability to craft lyrics that seem simple and profound at the same time. If you were not hooked by the end of the first track, "Square One" will win you over.

If you are a fan of Tom Petty's solo work or his work with the Heartbreakers then you will want this album. It is a good blend of all the influences throughout Petty's career, and every song is a hit. Petty packs the album full of guitar driven rock, catchy lyrics, and choruses that have good enough hooks to keep you singing them after one listen.

A new Tom Petty record is always a welcome occasion (even the ones produced by Jeff Lynne.) Highway Companion is Petty's third solo album, and the previous two (Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers) are generally considered to be among the best in his now-30-years-long history.

Jeff Lynne produces with a lighter touch than usual, which is a good thing; he lets the music breathe, and as a result it sounds earthy and organic, which is how Petty should be recorded. Many of the best songs harken back to the breezy, wistful Wildflowers, especially the lovely "Square One," which Petty introduced in concert this past June by calling it one of the songs he was especially close to.

Guitarist (and Heartbreaker "co-captain") Mike Campbell is, as usual, the secret weapon here. Campbell is absolutely meticulous about guitar sounds; he manages to get precisely the right tone on each solo, each track. Listen to the way his brief but poignant solo pierces like an arrow when he steps up during "Down South;" prickly, trebly, a little bit of echo. If you listen closely, you can hear just how much effort Campbell puts into sounding so effortless. Listen to his full, rubbery tone on "Night Driver;" he manages to speak volumes just by the sound of his guitar, almost regardless of what he plays. And what he plays is going to be note-perfect and spot-on.

Indeed, the credits list only three players-- Petty (who covers the drums), Lynne (bass, among other things) and Campbell. The record has a casual feel to it, a gentle, friendly and inviting vibe. After repeated listens, the message-- about the passage of time-- begins to seep in ("Turn this car around/I'm going back...") "You can look back, babe... but its best not to stare," Petty sings in "Big Weekend." "If you don't run, you rust."

I liked Echo (1999) a lot, and was unmoved by The Last DJ (2002). Highway Companion is a "small" record, in the way the Wildflowers was small compared to Damn the Torpedoes. But it is full of grace and easy, confident singing and playing, by a guy (and his musical cronies) who has little left to prove, and yet manages to prove he's still vital. It isn't a pump-your-fist-in-the-air record; it is a sway-in-the-breeze-in-Indian-Summer record. BUt I'm already sure it will end up one of my favorites from the Petty canon.

Petty is on the road with the Heartbreakers, celebrating 30 years together. The tour is a big, boistrous celebration. This record is also celebratory, but in a very different way. It is an adult record, full of tasty and tasteful playing, confronting the passage of time but ultimately finding an easy peace with it. A gently strummed, unilateral cease fire with the passage of time. Bravo.

Tom Petty's timeless HIGHWAY COMPANION is one of those albums that needs some time to marinate in your CD player, iPod, computer, or soul...wherever you best like to house your favorite music. For the most part, it doesn't leap out of the speakers and grab you by the throat, so much as it slips up behind you and drapes a friendly, understanding arm across your shoulders. For that reason, I've waited a week before writing this review, to allow the songs to soak in; and I can honestly say that after listening to it more than twenty times in the past seven days, I'm still finding new bits to love about it every time.

First of all, it starts with the quality of the songs themselves. Tom Petty takes a backseat to no one lyrically. He is as fine a lyricist as there is in this generation, spanning everyone from Bob Dylan to Smokey Robinson to Van Morrison. There are so many incredible one-liners and epiphanies throughout this one CD that it would be a career's worth for many writers. For example ...

* "It's hard to say/who you are these days/but you run on anyway/don't you baby?"

* "Last time though I hid my tracks/So well I could not get back"

* "He was caught up in a lie/he half-believed"

* "You're flirting with time baby/flirting with time, and maybe/time baby/is catching up with you"

* "Create myself down South/impress all the women/pretend I'm Samuel Clemens/wear seersucker and white linens"

* "If you don't run you rust"

...and there are so many more, but I'll let you discover them for yourself.

TP's masterful way with a melody doesn't disappoint either. Each song works its way into that spot in your brain that later triggers bouts of humming, whistling, and meditative la-la-la-ing.

Several of the songs are flat-out gorgeous, particularly "Square One," "Damaged By Love," and "Golden Rose" (which can best be described as a Pink Floydian sea chanty). Others mine a bluesy vein: the John Lee Hooker-esque boom-boom of "Saving Grace," the "Last Dance with Mary Jane"-esque hum of "Turn This Car Around," and the "You Don't Know How it Feels"-esque shuffle of "This Old Town." Elsewhere, "Flirting With Time" flies with the Byrds, "Jack" is spare pop with cool martial breaks and surfing guitar, while "Big Weekend" and "Ankle Deep" are delightful returns to the rollicking country rock of Petty and producer Jeff Lynne's Travelling Wilbury days.

Speaking of Jeff Lynne, he shows once more why he is one of the best and most respected producers in the history of rock and roll. His sensitivity to Petty's songs, coupled with his unparalleled studio craft, results in a sound rich in subtle brilliance. Lynne's enthusiasm and obvious love of the recording process is a somewhat needed kick in the pants/fresh drink of water for Petty, who's previous effort (with the Heartbreakers), THE LAST DJ, was excellent, but dour...and remains underappreciated by the general public. On HIGHWAY COMPANION, you can tell these guys are having a blast, even when the subject matter is serious, or when the tone is delicate.

The playing is spirited throughout, with a core band of Petty, Lynne, and longtime Heartbreaker Mike Campbell handling the instrumentation. Make no mistake: Mike Campbell is one of the great rock guitarists EVER and he shines alongside TP and Lynne, who are no slouches, either, when it comes to working the frets. Even though the name of Rick Rubin does not appear on any credits, the fact that this album is released through his American Recordings label is notable, and his spirit infuses this entire project with a heightened sense of honesty and integrity.

The CD packaging--especially the beautiful sepia-toned booklet--is topnotch and pleasing to the eye...quite befitting the quality of the project overall.

To sum up: I don't want to add a lot of hype to an album that is so wonderfully understated, but I sincerely believe that it's not only one of the best albums of this year, but certainly one of the best of this decade and one that will stand the test of time...an enduring classic for anyone who loves good music made by real people on real instruments, with lots of love and soul.

Key tracks: all, but especially "Saving Grace," "Down South," "Square One," "Flirting With Time," and "Damaged By Love"

BONUS INFORMATION: For a highly enjoyable and informative book on Tom Petty and his monumental career, check out CONVERSATIONS WITH TOM PETTY by Paul Zollo. It contains wonderful, warm stories about the many artists with whom TP has worked, as well as a virtual clinic on how to write classic songs.

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