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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.
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Highway Companion, Tom Petty's third solo album and first in a dozen years, is a timeless album about the passing of time. A constant companion on the road of rock n' roll, Petty, says Rolling Stone, is "rock aristocracy".
