Disco de Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers: “Echo”

As a long time (20 years) Petty fan who owns every album including his box set, I can't understand how Echo can be considered inferior to any of his other works. Yes, the sound is still the same - you've heard these tunes before - but isn't that what we love about Tom and the Heartbreakers in the first place. Echo is long overdue with a few classics that are among his best. The album flow follows the same patterns of the past, but once you play it through, you'll repeat the disc over and over until sooner or later you won't be able to get the damn songs out of your head. Not being able to put another disc in the player sums it up best. If that's not a sign of a 5-Star disc, I don't know what is. Lastly, just caught Tom and the Heartbreakers in NYC at Irving Plaza. Best show I've ever seen and they still forgot to play almost everyone of their greatest tunes including some from Echo!!! Bottom line: It's as good as it gets.

"Room at the Top" quickly sets a plaintive tone on "Echoes." It's a simple, sincere song where Tom Petty sounds at peace with himself and reflective. While these emotions don't last the entire way through, it's a special start to a great album.

Petty hails from Florida and now lives in California, but "Echoes" has a Midwestern feel, an aura that is real and down to earth. A common theme throughout this CD is Petty's usual tale of being down on his luck and bouncing back with gusto, which, truth be told, never gets old to listen to. Petty and his Heartbreakers don't exactly start "Echoes" off with a sonic boom. Save for the familiar jangle of "Free Girl Now," the songs begin sparse and laid back, not at all a bad thing. However, if you're looking for standard Petty rock and roll, give "Echoes" some time; there's some killer material here, starting with "Swingin'" on down. "Swingin'" is a harmonica-laden tune with that aforementioned never-say-die attitude, reminiscent of Petty's "Won't Back Down" days. The song comes off as a bar-stomping ode to all the fighters of the world, complete with a memorable name-check of famous past musicians who never gave up, despite their hardships in life.

Some of these songs contain Petty's brand of old-fashioned sounds and themes, like "Accused of Love" and the title track. Others rock out splendidly -- "Won't Last Long" being a prime example. "I'm down but it won't last long!" Petty cries faithfully on the song, sounding both retro and new at the same time. "I Don't Wanna Fight" is a spark plug of a tune, surprisingly sung by Mike Campbell, a virtual clone of Petty's voice. It turns out to be one of the CD's best tracks.

As "Echoes" moves along, you begin to appreciate the no frills attitude of the Heartbreakers. "No More" is a simple and plaintive track, resigned, but also hopeful and optimistic; it's a quiet song about staying true to your ideals. By comparison, "About to Give Out" is a good-time rocker, a rollicking tune that captures resignation in a different sense. "Rhino Skin" is an eloquent track about staying tough in a world full of pressure, a theme Petty knows and sings about well. The album's closer, "One More Day, One More Night," ends "Echoes" dramatically, and like the start of the CD, it's mostly quiet and simple, yet not as much at peace as the leadoff gem.

Bravo to Petty and his Heartbreaker for their musical integrity and talent. This CD is one of the band's best.

There's 1 thing that makes me mad about this CD- it wasn't nominated for a grammy. Oh well, Tom has always been more concerned about quality music than awards! On this CD, he and the Heartbreakers have pt out their best effort in years. "Free Girl Now" gives a tormented ex-lover who has finally gotten up the nerve to leave her meddling lover her due (You go, free girl!). "Swingin'" gives a nod to some of the greatest big-band legends of the now-defunct 20th century. Then there's the tender "Room at the Top..." (wouldn't we all like to sing that to someone special?). With all that aside, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are as strong as ever!

Tom is a great artist and this album is a great one that won't disappoint.

It is reminiscent of earlier works, laid back, mellow in a lot of ways, yet kick ass in others. You'll play it all the time. Great guitar solos.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album "Echo" is about what you'd come to expect from this band. Workmanlike and with a few standout songs, there is not a single moment that is either truly great or truly awful. "Free Girl Now" is a single the band might have recorded in 1981 or so, while the opening cut "Room at the Top" is the kind of slow song Tom perfected on his solo album "Full Moon Fever." By this point in his career, Petty has worn a groove for himself that he rarely strays from. He may get a little adventurous sonically with songs like the title track or "Billy the Kid," but he'll never stray far from home. If you're a fan of the Heartbreakers, this album will not disappoint you.