Search - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers :: Mojo

The album that had to be

Sam Horner | Minnesoter | 06/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Heartbreakers have evolved distinctly throughout their 30+ years of recording together. Listening to their catalog from the beginning to the present, one travels from an era of short, punchy garage-rock tunes in the 1970s, to the laid-back pop hits of the Jeff Lynne era, to their current period of meditative rock planted firmly in the band's primordial roots.



It's a natural progression, what with Petty's lament of modern music with the Last DJ in 2002, his efforts to keep '60s and '70s-era classic rock alive through his Buried Treasure radio show, the success of last year's Live Anthology, and a rapidly decentralizing music industry that's no longer ruled by the gatekeepers of Top 40 radio. It almost seems that Mojo just... had to be.



If Mudcrutch was Petty's country album, Mojo is his foray into blues recording (sprinkled with a little psychedelia and reggae to taste). Like Mudcrutch, Mojo is freewheeling, high-energy, and upbeat, and prone to a little jam session here and there -- which would have been unthinkable in the days of the neatly-trimmed Full Moon Fever or Into the Great Wide Open. Without a single bad song in the mix, Mojo is a cohesive album you can listen to from beginning to end.



Personally, I am digging latter-day Tom Petty. The band is as good as they've ever been, and each member seems to have increasing freedom to showcase their immense instrumental talents and unrivaled ability to complement one another. Mike Campbell's guitar is on fire through the whole album, and Scott Thurston breaks out of his shell with fine blues harmonica on several tracks.



As a departure from the past musical stylings that made the band successful, Mojo will certainly raise some eyebrows and not be to everyone's liking. Frankly, I think that's a good thing. These guys aren't trained monkeys paid to crank out the same songs over and over again. They're world-class musicians, and they deserve the chance to breathe a little. Play on, boys."

PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS STEP BACK TO MAKE SOME FINE MUSI

Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 06/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"64 minutes in length approximately. The sound is clean with a slight blending ("bleeding") of instruments that's one of the trademarks of musicians playing together in one room. The disc is slipped in,bare,inside the cardboard fold-out holder,which,inside,has a posed,b&w photograph of the group in the studio. The booklet contains the lyrics to each song,along with recording dates. There are b&w photos of the group throughout the booklet.



That subtle feeling of recording together is Petty's (and the band's) nod to recordings done "in the old days",when there was a certain sound and feel to rock 'n' roll albums. This is another indication (another being the live set released a while back) of Petty's mind set of late-straightforward,honest music,played by a band who know their way around. At this stage in Petty's (and the bands)career,it would be easy to try and sound "contemporary",or worse,simply rely on past glories. Instead they have produced an honest collection of real music. Sitting across from each other seems to have invigorated the band into playing some of their finest music yet,especially guitarist Mike Campbell.



This album is full of r&r,blues,country,and anything else (the reggae feel of "Don't Pull Me Over") they feel like playing-all with that Petty/Heartbreakers sound. There's even a jazzy walking-bass line underneath the opening guitar salvo,on "First Flash of Freedom",which,throughout,very subtly anchors and carries this song. This track also has the sound and feel (especially the vocals) of Petty's solo album "Highway Companion",and would fit snugly in that album. The album is a good balance of up tempo songs ("Candy") and slower ballads ("The Trip to Pirate's Cove") that together paint a true picture of this band. Tracks like "I Should Have Known It","Jefferson Jericho Blues",'Running Man's Bible",and "U.S. 41",among others are full of that bluesy (especially "Takin' My Time"),r&r sound,that,combined with Petty's images,through his lyrics,show that the band has been re-ignited in the studio.



Everyone will have their favorites,but most long time listeners will probably agree that the bands sound and approach has been re-energized. Maybe it's Petty's stage of life,maybe it's Petty's and the bands reaction to present day music,maybe a combination of things. But whatever the reason(s)this album is an example,an affirmation,of how basic rock 'n' roll should sound. With this album TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS are keeping rock 'n' roll alive. Hopefully the band will continue to play (and record) music like this in the future-but for now,this collection of songs will do nicely."

I had the blues when I first heard about Mojo

Walkin' Dude | Washinton State, USA | 06/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We've all been there with a rock 'n roll act past their prime. They release a "blues" album. And it's OK. There are like 3 catchy songs and 8-10 mediocre songs. So when I heard Mojo was coming and it was "bluesy" with a "reggae" track my heart sank a little. Here we go again...



Well, I'm happy to say there is not that album. The songs are wonderful. This is easily Petty's best effort since Wildflowers. Yes, there is a definite blues influence but it still sounds like a Heartbreaker's album, too. The playing is top-notch. These songs sound great. Stuff I didn't even initially like (First Flash of Freedom) now sounds like it belongs in permanent rotation on the iPod. This is really good stuff.



On a more curious note, I have a playlist on my iPod called "new stuff" that basically has everything downloaded to the iPod in the last 30 days and today it had the Stone's Exile on Main Street and this album in it. The two really complemented each other very well as I listened to it. I never thought of the Stones as a big Petty influence but it is definitely there on Mojo. This may be the first album I spring for the Blu-Ray version. This band really sounds fantastic on this album."