Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Big Weekend

Tom Petty's second solo LP dropped last week. (OK, it's really his third.) Called Highway Companion, it is Petty's "road record", full of ruminations on life filtered through the language of drivers and the road. Titles like Turn This Car Around and Night Driver should be a clue as to the direction. Sonically it is largely a low key affair, filled with gentle, dreamy ballads and classic Petty downtempo rockers. It is produced by long time producer/collaborator Jeff Lynne, and Petty handles almost all of the instrumentation save lead guitar, which is played by long time band mate Mike Campbell. It is by no means a departure for Petty. You'll hear all of his musical motifs, and the world weary drawl will always be the same. I really like it's mellow vibe, perfect for relaxing on a sunny afternoon, or the paper on Sunday morning. Big Weekend is one of the more uptempo tunes, and features a nice chunky bass riff that'll make you feel like trucking. I like the sentiment of the chorus - "I need a big weekend, kick up the dust, yeah a big weekend, if you don't run you rust."

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