Not a Petty classic

Tom Petty is one of those artists that I have become associated with solely due to the fact that my parents listened to him. Having said this, I'm not a Tom Petty fan per se. I respect him as a musician and acknowledge his great talent. Thus, this is a bit of a stretch for me to review something like this. But I'm not one to dismiss an album based on the fact that it's not something I regularly listen to. Well, on to the review. \nHighway Companion is Petty's third solo outing in nearly a dozen years. Simply put, it's an album about passing the time by. As cheesy and cliché as it may seem, Highway Companion is just that: an album to take with you on a leisurely road trip. The first track, Saving Grace, is spot-on blues rock, the sort of driving down Route 66 type of rock. Square One is a very somber, slower track. Beautiful, yes, but I'm afraid I would fall asleep at the wheel. But things pick back up with Flirting With Time. Just a feel-good track worth singing along to; this is one of the more upbeat songs on the album.\nPetty is an amazingly talented artist in general, and of course a rock icon. On Highway Companion, he plays many of the instruments himself, including the drums, showing how versatile a musician he is. Night Driver is probably the most eclectic (and most enjoyable) track out of the twelve, with bluesy and acoustic guitars, electronic piano, and unusual lyrics. Golden Rose, the final track on Highway Companion, is very Beatles-esque, in that mellow, heartfelt pop sort of way. And it will get stuck in your head as well.\nMost of these songs sound very similar and share similar tempos. This is the main flaw of the album; things tend to get very boring very quickly. It's worth a listen all the way through one time, but the replayability of this record is pretty low. Tracks like Jack and This Old Town are skippable sleep-inducing tracks. And you're not going to find any classic Petty tracks on here like Runnin' Down A Dream or Free Fallin'. Did I mention it's a very short record as well? Well, it really is.\nAll biases aside, this is a well-produced, enjoyable record. A little too twangy in some places, but not country enough to the point of me having to shut it off. But it's an album that you can just relax to; it's very bluesy and very mellow. As far as the road trip analogy is concerned, I'd rather listen to some fast metal or punk to keep me awake. Tom Petty has a very distinctive voice and a lot of talent, and it's amazing that he's still running strong after thirty years. Petty fans will be thrilled that he's back with more classic rock that are sure to impress.