TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Echo (Warner Bros.)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

---

Tom Petty is widely recognized as one of the great songwriters of the last twenty years, and rightly so. On top of that, he also leads a band that was always worthy of his talent. Watching (or hearing) Petty "mellow out" has been a bit distressing, though subsequent listens to his later albums, usually after much time has passed since their release, has revealed minor gems and even a few diamonds. That'll be the case with Echo, I'm sure. I can even hear the songs that will eventually work their way into my Petty Favorites tapes. "Billy The Kid," "Counting On You," "Won't Last Long," and the jangly "This One's For Me" already sound pretty fine. "About To Give Out" might even be remembered in another twenty years. So what's wrong here? Probably nothing that a truly inspired band couldn't fix. GASP! Yep, that's what I said. Since drummer Stan Lynch left the fold, the Heartbreakers have only had flashes of their former brilliance. Too often they sound like session players behind a guy who is still far too influenced by his time with Jeff Lynne. That the songs stick at all is testament to Petty's considerable songwriting gift, but these same songs might have sounded gigantic if they had been recorded by the Heartbreakers circa 1986. Mellowing. It may be a natural process, but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

© 1999 - DJ Johnson