Thursday, August 26, 2010

Album Review: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers-Mojo


I have been on a pretty big Tom Petty kick recently. I haven't listened to him in years and I forgot how great his old material is. Tom Petty is now 59 years old an he still knows how to make great music. Mojo is the perfect example of how a veteran rock star like Petty should make an album.
Mojo in a way is uncharted territory for Petty. It is a much bluesier record than his past work. The blues stylings fit Petty extremely well. One of the more blues-influenced songs on the record opener "Jefferson Jericho Blues" is also one of the album's finest. Another intresting thing Petty does on this record is try out some longer songs. The jamming tendencies of tracks like "First Flash Of Freedom" and "Good Enough" are absolutley kick ass. I never expected any extended jamming in Tom Petty songs but it suites him really well and was a nice surprise. It is refreshing to see these changes in Petty's music it shows that he likes to take risks even this late in his career. It's not all experimentation you have tracks like "I Should Have Known It" that is a straight up rock song with a great riff and guitar solo.
Despite's Mojo's strengths there some definite misfires. There are some songs that are absolute filler. Tracks like "Lover's Touch" and "Candy" really serve no purpose and are pretty damn boring. Thankfully there are only about 3 or 4 songs that aren't too good.
Mojo is a pretty intresting little record. The blues influnces are a really nice touch to Petty's sound. Some of the tracks on here rank up there with Petty's classics, Seriously they are that good. Even with its few filler tracks it doesn't really derail the record. Mojo is an essential listen for Petty fans and blues-rock fans alike.
3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.I Should Have Known It
2.First Flash Of Freedom
3.Jefferson Jericho Blues

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