Bitesize: Trollheart's Daily Album Mini-Reviews

Trollheart · 07-21-2012, 09:03 AM

Another perfect salvo from the Heartbreaker

Artiste: Tom Petty
Nationality: American
Album: Highway companion
Year: 2006
Label: Warner Bros.
Genre: Rock
Tracks
Saving grace
Square one
Flirting with time
Down South
Jack
Turn this car around
Big weekend
Night driver
Damaged by love
This old town
Ankle deep
The golden rose
Chronological position: Third solo album, fourteenth overall
Familiarity: “Full moon fever”, “Into the great wide open”, “Let me up (I've had enough)”
Interesting Factoid: That man Jeff Lynne is back controlling things...
Impression: Like this a lot, not at all hard to get into, easy to call.
Best track(s): Saving grace, Square one, Flirting with time, Night driver, Big weekend
Worst track(s): None
Intention: One of these days I must look deeper into his work with the Heartbreakers...
Comments: Yeah, I like this album. It's not as immediately in-your-face as “Full moon fever” was, but it's a nice little collection of rock songs, driving songs, lazy country fields songs and even some semi-folk/acoustic ballads in there. It gives the impression of someone not too pushed about trying, but in a good way: there's no real pressure on Petty and he can generally make music he likes, instead of what sells. Then again, that's been his mantra for over thirty years now. He is something of a maverick in the rock world, or he was, till FMF catapulted him into the charts.

Although produced by him, the album doesn't show too much evidence of Jeff Lynne's influence, apart from on a few tracks, especially Night driver, where Petty even contrives somehow to sound like the ex-ELO man, and the slide guitar solo halfway through could be off “Secret messages” or “Zoom”. Another track which shows the ELO footprint is Damaged by love, both nice little laidback groove ballads. But Petty rocks out too, like on Big weekend, when he just lets his hair down (how has he still got that head of hair at his age? It's unfair, I tells ya!) and has a blast.

Although it didn't follow it directly, “Highway companion” is a pretty good sequel to “Full moon fever” --- almost its younger, more reserved brother, perhaps, and certainly a disc you should make sure you have for that long road trip you've been planning for years now.

07-21-2012, 09:03 AM	#11 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Another perfect salvo from the Heartbreaker Artiste: Tom Petty Nationality: American Album: Highway companion Year: 2006 Label: Warner Bros. Genre: Rock Tracks Saving grace Square one Flirting with time Down South Jack Turn this car around Big weekend Night driver Damaged by love This old town Ankle deep The golden rose Chronological position: Third solo album, fourteenth overall Familiarity: “Full moon fever”, “Into the great wide open”, “Let me up (I've had enough)” Interesting Factoid: That man Jeff Lynne is back controlling things... Impression: Like this a lot, not at all hard to get into, easy to call. Best track(s): Saving grace, Square one, Flirting with time, Night driver, Big weekend Worst track(s): None Intention: One of these days I must look deeper into his work with the Heartbreakers... Comments: Yeah, I like this album. It's not as immediately in-your-face as “Full moon fever” was, but it's a nice little collection of rock songs, driving songs, lazy country fields songs and even some semi-folk/acoustic ballads in there. It gives the impression of someone not too pushed about trying, but in a good way: there's no real pressure on Petty and he can generally make music he likes, instead of what sells. Then again, that's been his mantra for over thirty years now. He is something of a maverick in the rock world, or he was, till FMF catapulted him into the charts. Although produced by him, the album doesn't show too much evidence of Jeff Lynne's influence, apart from on a few tracks, especially Night driver, where Petty even contrives somehow to sound like the ex-ELO man, and the slide guitar solo halfway through could be off “Secret messages” or “Zoom”. Another track which shows the ELO footprint is Damaged by love, both nice little laidback groove ballads. But Petty rocks out too, like on Big weekend, when he just lets his hair down (how has he still got that head of hair at his age? It's unfair, I tells ya!) and has a blast. Although it didn't follow it directly, “Highway companion” is a pretty good sequel to “Full moon fever” --- almost its younger, more reserved brother, perhaps, and certainly a disc you should make sure you have for that long road trip you've been planning for years now. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 01-13-2015 at 05:28 AM.