by Jacob Wingate-Bishop

Firstly, let me preface this by saying that Tom Petty is my favourite musician of all time. Anyone who knows me knows how much I go on about him like he’s an actual saint. And he is. Just to me. And no official religious body.

So, this review may be biased, somewhat. But I’m owed that at least – and after all, one must keep in mind the astonishing achievements of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers before looking at any recent material of theirs. These guys penned several Top 10 hits across either side of the pond, played Live Aid, and risked everything to slight greedy record companies. Tom and his pals were already legends in the music business, and giants of the classic rock scene.

And in 2010, they released their first studio piece in eight years. Mojo. Already we’re off to a good start, with a slightly optimistic-if-ambiguous title. Mojo is an interesting selection of an impressive fourteen tracks – and why would we expect any less? It’s been eight years, after all – most at least somewhat tinctured with the iconic blues sound now synonymous with Tom’s neck of the woods. The album’s big single, for example, ‘I Should Have Known It’, is a raucous and rambunctious rocker of a song, with guitar that distorts and pierces your eardrum repeatedly. In a good way. Tom’s vocals still sound powerful after all this time, with even a newfound drawl that is perfect for the record’s sound.

The only trouble is: don’t get used to this too often. The album has a few fast-paced, rocking boogie blues for sure (you’ll find these in the album’s opener, ‘Jefferson Jericho Blues’ and ‘U.S. 41’ – both highlight tracks). But most of Mojo is packed with more laid-back, slower approaches to blues and guitar.

Take ‘The Trip to Pirate’s Cove’, for example. It’s opening sets the mood for some late 50’s speakeasy in the south side of town, full of smoke and jazzy monochrome. And that’s the feel of this album. Petty’s voice here is like smooth butter, melted down and poured into your ears. That may sound horrible, but his vocals sure don’t. The echoes of each verse accompanied with subtle guitar work from Mike Campbell just fuses flawlessly. The only caveat here is the length – at five minutes, it’s not even the longest track on the record.

And that’s not a bad thing. But more than a couple times with Mojo, you find yourself wondering why a track lingers past the three-minute mark. For an already impressive tracklist, some solos outstay their welcome, or bleed right into another. Then again, it’s basically just one big blues jam recorded in the band’s own ‘Clubhouse’ studio.

Still, there’s some variation with this record. ‘Don’t Pull Me Over’ is a seamless splice of blues rock and reggae, and it works; it’s tailor-made for Petty, who laments about trying to make his way through life, beset by police and family alike. It makes for one of the best tracks on the album. It’s sublime.

‘Candy’, ‘High in The Morning’ and ‘Good Enough’ are all tracks that could be straight out of Mudcrutch’s back catalogue (a side project of Petty’s), only with more bite. There is certainly action here, it’s just a little more hidden than you’d expect for the man behind ‘Refugee’ or ‘I Need To Know’.

Here, in the interest of fairness and posterity, I must make clear that the original review – written some years ago – ended in me claiming Mojo is not a bad record, but not a brilliant one, either. Reading back on such zealous words fills me with a kind of unbridled, fanboy-induced rage. The latter part of Petty’s career with the Heartbreakers is oft overlooked, but records like Mojo and 2014’s Hypnotic Eye are laden with crunchy riffs, southern drawl and embittered views of the world. All subjects Petty tackles with vigour and artistic mastery. Mojo may seem a slow burner at first, but in hindsight, it’s one of the Heartbreakers’ best records, and easily stands up against the band’s string of ’70s and ’80s classics. It’s blues rock written by a man who grew up on a hearty diet of the stuff, straddling the line between homage and original creation. Petty may well have cut the tracks a bit long, but thank goodness he did.