Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Mojo

When a guy who haven't ever played the blues tries to record a classic blues album one's gotta beware. I don't need Tom Petty to be another Muddy Waters, I will take his new album, Mojo, as it comes. I liked his previous effort no matter how it was labeled (pop-rock actually). So, the first song is running at the moment. "Jefferson Jericho Blues", mhm. Good old whiny, whitey voice of Petty is adorable. Not bluesy, not at all, but it's okay - he sounds like he just couldn't give a damn no matter how hard he'd try and I like it. Slide guitar driving the mediocre song and wham, next one.


This one's longer, taking off with long, interesting coda. "First Flash Of Freedom". It strikes me how well it's produced. Really, I feel like the band is in my room. Even if the sound of the guitars isn't the one I'm dreaming of, it's enjoyable. And it's not the blues as I know it. Not only it's not dirty, it's crystal clear. Somebody said it's reminiscent of the Allman Brothers Band and this is the description for me that I have to laugh about, ABB were the masters of sound. This is waaaaay weaker. But still, it's listenable. Enjoyable. And it has something of that jammy feel.

"Running Man's Bible" is another boring composition played in a nice way. Quite funky, actually. This looks to me as an album that would please Tom Petty's and contemporary blues fans alike. I'm not anyone that would feel connected to any of these groups. Even though I click the "next" button, I like it. Even though I'm happy I didn't spend ten bucks on Mojo, I like it.

"Candy" is the first song I really like. And 4th I've already listened - I have to skip the one called "The Trip to Pirate's Cove". I just can't listen to a song with a name like that. But "Candy" is superb. It's gotta a nice groove to it and a very relaxed feel. OK, 9 songs to go now.

This review sucks and I'm rather out of my mind sitting here listening to this music. A cheap imitation of the real blues, yeah. But Petty wanted to do album like that and he played it well. There's something in it that I like. This is like a girl that isn't particularly pretty but you feel like you just need to lay her anyway. "I Should Have Known It" is a natural single and now I think it would really work in a live setting. A small club and ouch... I can easily imagine myself in the crowd.

Petty wrote all of the songs on the album. I'd love to hear some covers. But it's okay. It's 3.5/5 on my RYM. It's an hour I've just wasted. It's good it was released. It's good there are still guys like Tom, who have nothing to prove and yet they try to have fun. But anyway... this morning I've listened to Blues From Laurel Canyon, Mayall's best work, and Mojo's nothing compared to that.

And when I come to think about it... Don't let anybody tell you it's a blues work. It's obviously not. An album on which every second is thought ten times over, every chord is perfectly chosen and every emotion labelled and classified just can't rock the way Petty wants to.

"Blues for the lost days"...

Yesterday I attended a wonderful, stunning John Mayall's show in Warsaw. Two hours of blues played live was what I needed. ;) Reminded me that the music is to be played live and CDs are only a small part of the fun. I wrote a lengthy review on my Last.fm already (in Polish) and in some time I'll review it here, but for now I've got to give my mind a rest. ;)

In two weeks time I'm attending Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, a glorious festival. I wanted to go and see Pearl Jam but I can't, dates collide. But in the meantime...

Recently I got so much into the Allman Brothers Band that I can't resist listening to 20-minute version of "Dreams" twice a day. The things that Duane plays are indescribable. ;) Yesterday I was going back home at about midnight with "Whipping Post" rambling through my headphones...

The Derek Trucks Band is releasing a new live double album called "Roadsongs". I'm listening now to their previous studio album and I start to like it. Good time music, actually. I'll wait for the new album.

And I'm still waiting for some free time to review Tom Petty's "Mojo". And Steve Miller's "Bingo". I don't like him but his comments seem very wise (and kinda brave), see them on IORR.

News from Ronnie Wood, the Faces & Tom Petty

There are many new exciting releases I'm waiting for now... First of all, Ronnie Wood's new album called Feel Like Playing. Dirty rock and roll, booze and blues the way I like it. We already can hear two songs off the album, look here. I totally loved Ronnie's first solo album (called I've Got My Own Album to Do) and every next one had some of its charm.

Speaking of Ronnie Wood, his band from the early 70s, the Faces, is reuniting. Without Rod Stewart, replacing him with Mick Hucknall of Simply Red fame. There's a lot of bad press on Mick Hucknall and his singing with the Faces caused a lot of controversy, but I don't mind him really. He even recorded a mediocre blues album called Tribute to Bobby, which was recorded for Bobby Bland. Hucknall can sing and did well on the previous Faces reunion and now I hope they're gonna play some more dates and some bootlegs are going to show up. In their days they were playing the best party-time rock and roll on the planet - except for the Stones.

Tom Petty - a good artist but as far from the blues as one can get - released a new album full of, as he described it, "dirty blues", drawing many references to the Allman Brothers Band. In a deep blues fasion it's called Mojo. ;) Here's one of the singles on YouTube. Funny to see comments below that "it's one of the best blues tunes ever made"... Well, certainly not funny, okay. The track is as unoriginal as it can be. Another one's better. It's good popular artist are interested in the blues, the results sometimes are really frightening, though. ;)