Tom Petty & Number 78

I'm a late comer to being a fan of Tom Petty, to be honest for much of his career I didn't get what the big deal was. Petty's voice is not what I would consider to be great, the guitarwork was never flashy and he doesn't fit neatly into a category or genre. I always liked "The Waiting", but past that his music seemed plain and a little retro to me.

But, as I got older I started to looking for other elements in music for enjoyment. It was no longer about the highest pitched vocal, the fastest guitar solo or the most anthemic chorus. I started enjoying the more basic elements of rock music, the "art" of it, where personal experiences could be conveyed with more specific lyrics, emotional guitar playing (as opposed to technical playing) and a sense of the performers personality.

In the mid 90's, I found out Tom Petty through a copy of his Greatest Hits disc that he embodied these other aspects I was looking for. I became a big fan of his after that point.

Petty has released a new CD, Highway Companion, which I have been listening to for a week now. So far, I've found it much more enjoyable than his previous CD, The Last DJ. The Last DJ was a relatively weak concept album about how greed has taken over the music industry. Despite a few good songs (I loved "Money Became King" with it's story of a faded rock star going through the motions to sell tickets to the Golden Circle crowd) it was a dud commercially and artistically. I was a little apprehensive when I heard this would be a concept album about mortality, as I felt being tied to a theme weakend Last DJ.

I'm pleased to say the theme doesn't bury Highway Companion. My first impression of this album? Strummy! Accompanied by Heartbreaker Mike Campbell and producer Jeff Lynne, this disc is filled with strumming guitar riffs and creamy, consise guitar solos. Tracks like "Saving Grace" features a ZZ Topish riff while "Big Weekend" recalls Creedence Clearwater Revival. Lyrically, there is a concilatory tone of Petty making amends with the past ("Down South") while preparing himself for the future ("Square One"). The music and lyrics fit together nicely on this album, conveying a feeling of moving through time with an eye on the end of the road.

The only weakness of the disc is the songwriting hooks, which is strong but there's nothing on the album quite on par with his classic work. Two exceptions are "Flirting With Time" and "Ankle Deep". "Flirting With Time" is a Byrdsy tune with a catchy chorus where the beat picks up doubletime. "Ankle Deep" has a bit of that "I Won't Back Down" feel even though the lyrics don't make any sense to me.

Overall, Highway Companion is an album of modest but palpable accomplishments. It effectively conveys its theme and is pleasant to listen to. There are rumors this may be the last Tom Petty album (or is it tour? I get it confused). If this is the last Petty disc, then all I can say is there are worse ways to say goodbye. I give this disc a 7 out of 10.

A recent band that recalls a bit of the past in Number 78:

Los Lonely Boys (2003)

I'll never forget when I saw Los Lonely Boys for the first time, they were a featured video on CMT. It seemed so strange, three hispanic men on the Country music channel playing Christian rock (the song was "Heaven"). I saw the video on CMT quite a bit, so I knew it wasn't a mistake. I was also impressed, the song had a feel that echoed bluesy classic rock and Spanish music. A few months later, I decided to check them out.

Los Lonely Boys turned out to be everything they were advertised to be. Three brothers who grew up playing together with a sound that pulled from Spanish music, blues rock and three part harmonies. The musicanship, particularly that of fluid guitarist Henry Garza and muscular bassist Jo Jo Garza, shone throughout the disc. Drummer Ringo Garza holds his own but was less impressive. Together, they mined the past on tracks like "Crazy Dream" (Stevie Ray Vaughn style blues) , "Onda" (like Santana in full "Jingo" mode) and "More Than Love" (reminiscent of Richie Valens' "Donna"). As blatant as the influences were, their performance had a lived-in feel that made it seemed earned.

My favorite track is "Velvet Sky", a breezy song with a relaxed harmony vocal and smooth, tasty guitar fills. The hit, "Heaven", also won me over with its strong guitarwork and plesant melody.

My wife has often said this band is a one-trick-pony and from what I've heard from their recently released second album, she may be right. Nonetheless, I have found their debut disc to be very enjoyable and see a lot of potential in this band. As it stands, this is one of my favorite discs.