Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mojo

He’s lived in the shadow of his hero Bob Dylan, but Tom Petty has long proven himself to be one of rock’s most consistent hitmakers. A master synthesist, the Florida native affected a Dylanesque nasal sneer and, together with his band the Heartbreakers forged a sound that combined chiming Byrds riffs and Rolling Stones swagger. Tom’s ultimate aim has been to craft memorable songs. “To write a good song is enough,” he once said. “That was the loftiest ambition I had: to write a song that would endure.”

    Tom’s tunes have certainly endured. His hits with the Heartbreakers, including “Refugee,” “Free Fallin’” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” are staples of classic-rock radio. Dylan paid tribute after Tom and the Heartbreakers backed him on a pair of 1980s tours: “Tom’s a deep and soulful cat,” said Dylan, “and a heroic character in his own kind of way.” Dylan later recruited Tom to join him, George Harrison and Roy Orbison in the Traveling Wilburys. For their part, Tom and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

    Now Tom and his band are back with the excellent Mojo, their first album in eight years. A collection of bluesy, jam-based songs, Mojo shows that rock’s journeyman rocker can still pen rugged classics like the rollicking “Jefferson Jericho Blues.” Meanwhile two standout tracks, the psychedelic epic “First Flash of Freedom” and the hypnotic ballad “Something Good Coming,” recall Dylan at his best. For Tom, there could be no higher compliment.