Echo in Bloomington, MN

Although the stripped-down, immediate production of
She's the One
was reminiscent of
Wildflowers
,
Tom Petty
's forays into
Lindsey Buckingham
-inspired
pop
turned out to be a passing thing, since
Echo
, his first full-fledged record with
the Heartbreakers
since 1991's
Into the Great Wide Open
, is an extension of
, at least in terms of sound and feel. The weird thing is,
sounds like a sinewy band recording, but its sentiment makes it feel like a solo record. To be blunt, much of
feels like a by-product of
Petty
's divorce from his wife of over 20 years; even the intoxicating
hard rock
of
"Free Girl Now"
has a layer of sorrow and regret. That weary melancholy is the bond that keeps
together, bridging the gap between the
ballads
and the
rockers
, providing an emotional touchstone that makes the record more than just another
record. Then again, the music on
manages to sound like every other
album, yet it stays fresh.
Mike Campbell
, and
Rick Rubin
(along with some help from
George Drakoulias
) keep the spirit of
alive by keeping the production uncluttered, direct, and muscular -- which just reveals what a strong, versatile band
are. And while there are no surprises,
once again delivers an album that works as a whole while having several clear highlights -- which is a pretty neat trick, actually. At times, the disc feels a little long, but all the pieces work individually and illustrate that
is the rare
rocker
who knows how to mature gracefully. Although the album is spiked with sadness and regret, nothing on the album feels forced or self-conscious, either lyrically or musically -- and he is one of the few
of his generation that can make such a claim. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine