Tom Petty – Highway Companion

Talking about Tom Petty’s latest release Highway Companion, a terrific album, requires a little back tracking and some thoughts on the idea of ‘the maturing of music.’

First I would like to say that I have no idea what Tom was trying to do with The Last DJ album, other then his assault on the record industry, which was well done and way over due. There were some fine tunes on that release to be sure, but on some level (and it’s not just me), the outing came across sounding scattered and lost, as if it had no direction at all. I totally ired the concept, yet when I watched the DVD that came with the package, and heard Tom say, “This is one, you’re really gonna’ want in your collection ... ,” I knew that he was just trying to ‘sell’ that piece of dribble. Wait, wait, I’m not trying to come across as being unkind. The man has been putting out quality music for thirty years, he’s entitled to one bummer. What got me was that I think he knew just how bad the release was and was simply trying to push it. I resented that, especially with a song that cut to the quick of the music industry like “The Last DJ”. It was almost as if Tom had become the record executive ... but hey, maybe that was the joke and I missed it. Silly me!

Maturing of music is an easy phrase to throw around and few people understand what it actually means. I’m going to try to give you my best thoughts on the topic. Tom, as I’ve said, has spent thirty years giving us great rock and roll, played with the best of the best, including Bob Dylan, George Harrison and The Heartbreakers, who backed his vision with splendid ferocity. To use the word mature, in regards to music, is to say that the artist is no longer concerned with the formula and has freed themselves to sing their songs, usually in a simpler manner, with less effort. This by no means indicates that the artist is going to lose his audience, it’s just that at some point in a career the artist finally decides that they are going to show the world who they actually are, at last able to stand with their back to the wind. This sense of freedom must feel totally liberating and this is what Tom has brought us with the release of Highway Companion.

The songs are simple and elegant. He’s dipped heavily into some simple studio effects that spice up and brighten spaces on a couple of songs. The musical work is focused, flawless, quiet and to the point. Each song is a story unto itself, as if they’re being told from the back seat on a road trip across the landscape of America. “Ankle Deep” is splendid Americana, where each word has a double meaning (more on that in the Fun Facts section) and each meaning is a entendre for something else; a fine example of what the Traveling Wilburys were all about.

This album feels to have been effortless to make, therefore feels effortless with the listen, and therein lies the joy of this music. You’re going to hear some old strokes from brush of Tom Petty, but that only goes to connect this work to his past, tying it all together in a nice package. There’s a strong tight back beat here, the trademark, along with Petty’s well defined bass meanderings that match Tom’s signature chord changes. The guitar solos, short as they are, seem lighter, more silver, airy and magical.

"Night Driver" will bring you chills on the open road, windows rolled down, wind in your hair. If you a red Jeep heading into the desert’s setting sun, a skull and bones decal on the back window, that’s me ... "a night driver drifting home again.”

*** The Fun Facts: In his song “Ankle Deep” Tom is having a bit of fun with double meanings, where he musically and lyrically creates a homage to artist Robert Deyber, a visual raconteur supreme, who created the album’s artwork. Deyber is best know for his surrealistic impressions, where each painting is a visual interpretative clever turn on a common phrase, such as Any Port In A Storm. Petty and his wife had been collecting Deyber’s work for many years, enjoying his wry visual sense of humor.

Review by Jenell Kesler

Paintings by Deyber: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/93871973452536979/