A Petty Home Companion

Highway Companion
Tom Petty
American Recordings

From the scorching FM rock of "Refugee" to the jangly coming-of-age ballad "Free Fallin'," Tom Petty's best work with and without the Heartbreakers could be compiled into a great soundtrack for a road trip. In his 30-year career, Petty has conjured a six-lane highway's worth of full-throttle, nomadic imagery. He was "born a rebel." He took us "into the great wide open." And, on 1989's solo "Full Moon Fever," he was "Runnin' Down a Dream."

From its opening notes, Petty's latest disc, "Highway Companion," sounds like another occasion to put the pedal to the floor. And it is, but this time the 55-year-old Petty captures the road warrior in middle age. That muscle car in the mind's eye now has rust on the fenders, and the needle is steadily falling toward "E." Many of the miles have been hard, and it's time to turn around. The price of more than gas has been steep.

The change in direction is more than figurative. In "Square One," the very title of which implies a return, Petty tells us, "It took a world of trouble / It took a world of tears / It took a long time to get back here." In another tune, he's headed "Down South." The narrator of "Jack" is "Gonna get my baby back." The title of "Turn This Car Around" really needs no further explanation.

This latest trip isn't quite a U-turn, though. Petty in recent years has taken breaks from the abandon of rock and roll. His divorce album, 1999's "Echo," was steeped in moody introspection. "The Last DJ," from 2002, was a cranky screed against the music business in particular and society in general.

"The Last DJ," which was recorded with the Heartbreakers, also was probably the weakest effort of Petty's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career. His solo works, on the other hand, have been among his best. "Highway Companion" is Petty's third solo album, and his first since 1994's "Wildflowers." Those efforts have included major contributions from his backing band, but Petty chose to keep it lean and mean this time, enlisting only longtime running buddies Mike Campbell (he's the Heartbreakers guitarist, but could you have a Petty record without him?) and Jeff Lynne on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards. Lynne, who produced the album (as he did "Full Moon Fever") with assists from Petty and Campbell, even tones down his usual signature layers of acoustic guitars and vocals. The restraint is welcome.

Petty, Campbell and Lynne give "Highway Companion" continuity with Petty's latter-day catalog. It compares favorably with the Rick Rubin-produced "Wildflowers," though that earlier (and superior) disc was more sonically diverse. "Saving Grace" kicks off this disc with a grinding, boogie blues, but with the exception of "Big Weekend," "Highway Companion" largely settles into a sort of slow-to-mid-tempo mellowness.

Though there are fewer flat-out rockers than on the average Petty disc, maybe subdued is a better fit for this set of tunes. "Saving Grace" acknowledges a search for oneself while still showing a reluctance to do so: "And it's hard to say / Who you are these days / But you run on anyway / Don't you baby?" That search for self continues on "Square One,"in which Petty sings, "Last time though I hid my tracks / So well I could not get back / Yeah my way was hard to find / Can't sell your soul for peace of mind."

Speaking of new directions, Petty seems to be taking more chances lyrically. At times, he even seems to be emulating fellow Traveling Wilbury Bob Dylan, such as in this verse from "Down South," in which he pledges to "Create myself down south / Impress all the women / Pretend I'm Samuel Clemens / Wear seersucker and white linens."

But Petty and the characters that live in his songs don't appear quite ready to give up their rough and rowdy ways for a Dylanesque (or, for that matter, Twainesque) life of literary songcraft, as he spells out on "Big Weekend": "I need a big weekend / Kick up the dust / Yeah a big weekend / If you don't run you rust."

"Highway Companion" isn't Tom Petty's best album, but in time it's got a good shot at being mentioned in the same breath with those works. Even after 30 years, Petty's got some running left in him. He's just roaring down a road less traveled.