Tom Petty, “Highway Companion”
ROCK|American, released today
The magic of Tom Petty’s naturally sun-kissed music is the way it comes off so seemingly effortlessly. While some critics don’t like his nasaly stories, his voice is chocolate cake to the ears. And his bluesy, straightforward rock – complete with some of the most solid guitar work in the game – is his trademark.
Petty is a rock. And “Highway Companion” is an inside peek at his travel journals that show he’s still creating work that actually deserves a spot in the live show next to “American Girl.”
“Ankle Deep” is an ice-cold glass of lemonade, a laid-back love song set on horse fields that plays off Petty’s quirky poetry and his love of intermediate guitar solos that are more concerned with matching the mood than shredding the scenery.
And “Square One” is a quiet, acoustic painting that has Petty working with light brushstrokes and intense details. Some of his work has him forcing out a melody to various results – even in “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” which still sounds manufactured for radio. But with much of this album, including the subtle “Square One,” Petty is a working craftsman focusing on the art and not the commercial appeal.|Ricardo Baca
Spoon, “Telephono/Soft Effects EP”
INDIE ROCK|Merge, reissued today
Once upon a time, before hipsters and critics embraced Spoon as shining pillars of indie rock, the band was just another attitude-heavy trio. Britt Daniel and his Austin, Texas, compatriots still trafficked in taut songwriting stuffed with jagged riffs and too-cool lyrics. They still sounded like an unholy braid of Wire, the Pixies, Modern Lovers and Guided by Voices. And yes, they were still very, very good.
Five years since falling out of print and 10 years since the band formed, Merge has reissued Spoon’s first full-length and EP, respectively. If you have already heard these discs there are no surprises here, except how intensely exciting and relevant the band sounds, even in this nascent stage. The “Soft Effects EP” features better production and songs, but both releases have aged incredibly well. Just listen to “Waiting for the Kid to Come Out” and bow – bow! – before your leaders.|John Wenzel
Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy, “Adieu False Heart”
CAJUN/TRADITIONAL|Vanguard, released today
It should surprise few Linda Ronstadt fans that she chose a Cajun music mainstay to collaborate with for her first album in two years. Besides fronting the respected Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band, Ann Savoy is a kindred soul to Ronstadt’s musical wanderlust and delicate, attentive performances.
“Adieu False Heart,” a largely melancholy meditation on lost love and memories, is American music through and through, despite a couple of covers from British folkie Richard Thompson. The Creole influence is clear throughout, but more subtle is Ronstadt’s ability to invoke her trademark SoCal folk-pop (Julie Miller’s “I Can’t Get Over You”) as expertly as bittersweet country-folk (“Rattle My Cage”). None of it sounds repetitive or backward-looking.
Her distinctive soprano cuts as deep as ever, especially when coupled with Savoy’s textured alto. Excellent banjo and mandolin performances and Steve Buckinghamn’s nuanced production round out this subdued but satisfying collection.|John Wenzel
Other releases today:
Michael Franti and Spearhead, “Yell Fire!” (Anti) These super-political roots rockers are back with another 14 tracks of harmonious clarity inspired by Franti’s trip to Iraq and the West Bank.
New York Dolls, “One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This” (Roadrunner) The promotional materials call this record “the follow-up to 1974’s ‘Too Much Too Soon.”‘ And while that’s technically right, given the punk group disbanded for a spell, it’s also really wrong.
