IN REVIEW: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Hypnotic Eye"

When you consider Tom Petty's stature in rock history, it's been getting more and more difficult over the course of his latter career to determine whether he still deserves as much praise as he gets or whether he's coasting off of Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers, two spectacular albums which are both at least two decades old. Looking at the five albums that followed Wildflowers, results are decidedly mixed; I'd wager not a single Petty fan would nominate The Last DJ or Highway Companion as the man's greatest achievement.

As far as disappointments go, the one that came with 2010's Mojo was particularly stinging. That album was preceded by I Should Have Known It; a fiery, legitimate career highlight, that song stirred up hopes of a return to greatness, Petty's first truly solid album in ages. Sadly, I Should Have Known It was a bit of a red herring; while the Heartbreakers were adventurous, the energy level doesn't come close to that song again for the duration of the album. It boasts a few good songs, but falls short as full album entertainment.

I'm happy to report that Hypnotic Eye is a much improved effort in terms of energy and intent. If nothing hits as hard as I Should Have Known It, then at least the album hits harder as a collective; this is a well rounded rock album, the type of effort that could only come at the latter stages of a distinguished career after years of coasting. It's not meant as a slight; consider The Rolling Stones, who churned out a string of forgettable albums through the eighties and nineties before suddenly roaring back to life with A Bigger Bang. Or AC/DC, who also let the better part of two decades fly by while releasing mediocre albums, only to triumphantly return with the entertaining (and surprisingly adventurous) Black Ice. Hypnotic Eye follows the same lineage; it's what happens when a legacy artist sees the light at the end of the tunnel, and realizes there's only so many more songs to write. There's a great deal of care put into these songs; it's evident throughout, and it makes for a record that really makes you root for the guy again.

Reflective, plaintive ballads are few and far between, jettisoned in favour of boogie blues and roots rock, the type of fare more reminiscent of Petty's first five albums than his last five. That's not to say it's all four-on-the-floor rock n' roll, as there are a few slower numbers to break up the tracklist and prevent listener fatigue; they don't take anything away from the record, even if they don't really do it much in the way of favours either.

Indeed, it's the rocking stuff that takes all the headlines here. Some of the rockers are aimed at the radio, like the meaty, melodic Fault Lines and Red River, or the laid back head bobber U Get Me High (not to be confused with You Get Me High, a lesser known Petty song hidden on the tail end of the 1995 Playback box set). Some are tailor made to pepper into the live setlist, like rough and tumble album opener American Dream Plan B, the dirty boogie of All You Can Carry, and the big rock grandeur of closing track Shadow People. Then, there's the super grimy swagger of blues stomper Burnt Out Town, which makes as much sense (musically and lyrically) in 2014 as it would have had it been recorded in 1964.

Therein lies the crux of Petty's longevity; as many peaks and valleys as his career has had and as many trends have come and gone, Petty's best moments are immune to time. Whether it's the aching romanticism of The Waiting, the eternal singalong anthem Free Fallin', the hazy groove of You Don't Know How It Feels or the hard-hitting blues power of I Should Have Known It, none of Petty's biggest songs sound explicitly like products of the times they came from. On Hypnotic Eye, Petty has boiled that timeless essence down and spread it evenly throughout, making for an album that's classic Petty before you even take it out of the plastic.

July 29, 2014 • Reprise

Highlights Fault Lines • Red River • U Get Me High