Tom Petty

The Heartbreakers backed up Bob Dylan through much of the year this record was written and recorded, and the ragged Let Me Up -- riddled with hasty arrangements, chugging guitars and, yes, loads of cowbell -- has the roadhouse attitude to prove it. While some tunes bear the unfortunate synthesizer flourishes of Southern Accents, simple songs like "It'll All Work Out" and the bawdy "Think About Me" are sterling examples of Petty's ability to read from Uncle Bob's playbook.

Despite the desperate surrender implied in the title, tom petty and the Heartbreakers come
out standing tough and triumphant on Let Me Up (I've Had Enough). The eleven songs on the
album chronicle characters who are reeling from media assaults and shattered
relationships. But anger and the urgent need to make sense of a world spinning out of
control are strong reasons for survival -- and they are powerfully rendered in th... More >

For such a downhome guy, Petty has a major instinct for the news hook. Here, after defying premium pricing, reconstructing the South, and touring with somebody famous, he exploits the Dylan connection once again. In the tradition of his new hero, Petty's plan was no plan--he and the guys just went into the studio and these songs came out. And whaddaya know? Stick the thing in your playback mechanism of choice and these songs come out--for the first time in his career, the man sounds like the natural he's worked so hard at being. (Grade - B+)