Travels With Tom

Highway Companion, Tom Petty’s third solo album, is such a majestic, relevant work that it’s hard to believe he’s been in the game 30 years. Working with just fellow Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, Petty turns in some of the best work of his career, not to mention one of the best albums of 2006.On Highway Companion, Petty sings about aging, using traveling as a metaphor and with copious references to time throughout. As such, the songs are introspective and quieter, with occasional anger, as well as a sense of melancholy which is sad but not necessarily depressing.

The travelers on Highway Companion also go from one point to another without a plan; a step forward as in “Down South” can be negated by doubt, as in the aptly named “Turn This Car Around.” Both songs represent another dichotomy on the album: the light of acceptance versus the dark of uncertainty.

The album opens with the lean, mean guitar of the boogie/bluesy “Saving Grace,” about how people sometimes move forward aimlessly, then segues into the simple, lovely melody on “Square One,” about returning to one’s origins. The blues play a big part in other songs, including the sinister vibe of both “Jack” and “This Old Town.” Elsewhere, Petty employs old-time rock ‘n’ roll, as with the infectious “Flirting With Time,” the fun “Big Weekend,” or the peppy-yet-sad “Ankle Deep.”

Besides Petty’s great music, his lyrics remain top-notch, whether he’s being clever (“Took all winter to get through the summer” from “Ankle Deep”) or poignant (“Should be more to learn from this / Can’t say I know what it is” from “Flirting With Time”).

Not only does Highway Companion prove that Tom Petty is still an important songwriter, singer and musician, but also that he’s a master rock ‘n’ roller who creates superior albums of stunning beauty, depth, and magnificence. As such a masterwork, Highway Companion is destined to be on many Top 10 lists at the end of 2006.