Review:
Tom Petty's concept for his third solo album is laid bare in its very title: it's called Highway Companion, which is a tip-off that this record was made with the road in mind. As it kicks off with the chugging Jimmy Reed-via-ZZ Top riff on "Saving Grace," the album does indeed seem to be ideal music for road trips, but Petty changes gears pretty quickly, down-shifting to the bittersweet acoustic "Square One." Although the album ramps back up with the '60s-styled pop of "Flirting with Time" and the swampy, Dylan-esque "Down South," the quick move to the ruminative is a good indication that for as good as Highway Companion can sound on the road, Petty looks inward on this album just as frequently as he looks outward. Perhaps this is the best indication that this is indeed a solo affair, not a rock & roll record with the Heartbreakers. Petty of course doesn't go it completely alone here: his longtime guitarist Mike Campbell is here as is producer/co-writer Jeff Lynne, who helmed Petty's 1989 solo debut, Full Moon Fever, and the Heartbreakers' 1991 Into the Great Wide Open and now returns to the fold 15 years later. Lynne's previous Petty productions were so bright, big, and shiny, they would have been suitable for an ELO album, and given that track record, it would be easy to assume that he would follow the same template for Highway Companion, but that's not the case at all. Highway Companion has as much in common with the rustic, handmade overtones of 1994's Wildflowers as it does with the pop sheen of Full Moon Fever -- it is precise and polished, yet it's on a small scale, lacking the layers of overdubs that distinguish Lynne's production, and the end result is quite appealing, since it's at once modest but not insular. But Highway Companion also feels a little off, as if Petty is striving to make a fun rock & pop record -- a soundtrack for the summer, or at least a good drive -- but his heart is in making a melancholy introspective album, where he's grappling with getting older. This gives the album a sad undercurrent even at its lightest moments, which makes it ideal for driving alone late at night. Since it arrives after the bombastic The Last DJ, it's refreshing to hear Petty underplay his themes here, and it also helps that Lynne helps toughen up his songcraft. All this makes Highway Companion at the very least another typically reliable collection from Petty, but at its core, it's moodier than most of his records. It has a lot in common with Petty's divorce album, Echo, but it's coming from a different place -- one that's content, yet still unsettled. That may mean that this album isn't quite as fun as it initially seems on the surface, but that bittersweet undercurrent does indeed make Highway Companion a good partner for long nights on the road.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://www.allmusic.com/album/highway-companion-mw0000573384
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Revisión:
El concepto de Tom Petty para su tercer álbum en solitario está al descubierto en su propio título: se llama Highway Companion, lo que es un indicio de que este disco fue hecho con la carretera en mente. Al comenzar con el riff de Jimmy Reed-via-ZZ Top en "Saving Grace", el álbum parece ser la música ideal para los viajes por carretera, pero Petty cambia de marcha muy rápidamente, cambiando a la acústica agridulce "Square One". Aunque el álbum retrocede con el pop de los años 60 de "Flirting with Time" y el pantanoso "Down South", el rápido movimiento hacia lo rumoroso es un buen indicio de que, por muy bien que suene Highway Companion en la carretera, Petty mira hacia adentro en este álbum con la misma frecuencia que hacia afuera. Tal vez esta es la mejor indicación de que esto es en realidad un asunto solitario, no un disco de rock & roll con los Heartbreakers. Petty, por supuesto, no está completamente solo aquí: su guitarrista Mike Campbell está aquí, así como el productor y co-escritor Jeff Lynne, que dirigió el debut en solitario de Petty en 1989, Full Moon Fever, y el de los Heartbreakers en 1991 Into the Great Wide Open y ahora vuelve al redil 15 años después. Las anteriores producciones de Petty de Lynne eran tan brillantes, grandes y relucientes, que habrían sido adecuadas para un álbum de ELO, y dado ese historial, sería fácil suponer que seguiría el mismo modelo para Highway Companion, pero no es así en absoluto. Highway Companion tiene tanto en común con los matices rústicos y hechos a mano de Wildflowers de 1994 como con el brillo pop de Full Moon Fever - es preciso y pulido, pero a pequeña escala, sin las capas de sobregrabado que distinguen la producción de Lynne, y el resultado final es bastante atractivo, ya que es a la vez modesto pero no insular. Pero Highway Companion también se siente un poco fuera de lugar, como si Petty se esforzara por hacer un divertido disco de rock & pop - una banda sonora para el verano, o al menos un buen viaje - pero su corazón está en hacer un melancólico álbum introspectivo, donde está luchando con el envejecimiento. Esto le da al álbum un trasfondo triste incluso en sus momentos más ligeros, lo que lo hace ideal para conducir solo a altas horas de la noche. Como llega después del bombástico The Last DJ, es refrescante escuchar a Petty tocar sus temas aquí, y también ayuda a que Lynne ayude a endurecer su arte de cantar. Todo esto hace de Highway Companion al menos otra colección típicamente fiable de Petty, pero en el fondo, es más mood mood que la mayoría de sus discos. Tiene mucho en común con el álbum de divorcio de Petty, Echo, pero viene de un lugar diferente... uno que está contento, pero aún no se ha resuelto. Eso puede significar que este álbum no es tan divertido como parece a primera vista, pero ese trasfondo agridulce hace que Highway Companion sea un buen compañero para las largas noches en la carretera.
por Stephen Thomas Erlewine
https://www.allmusic.com/album/highway-companion-mw0000573384
Tracklist:
1 - Saving Grace - 3:47
2 - Square One - 3:25
3 - Flirting With Time - 3:15
4 - Down South - 3:27
5 - Jack - 2:28
6 - Turn This Car Around - 3:58
7 - Big Weekend - 3:15
8 - Night Driver - 4:27
9 - Damaged By Love - 3:22
10 - This Old Town - 4:16
11 - Ankle Deep - 3:23
12 - The Golden Rose - 4:42
Label:Warner Bros. Entertainment
Released: 2006
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Acoustic, Pop Rock, Classic Rock
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