TOM PETTY
HIGHWAY COMPANION(4 stars)
After his last album, 2002's shrill, bitter The Last DJ, it looked like Tom Petty might finally be losing his touch. Like Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen, Petty's always had a timeless, cross-generational appeal that has little to do with radio airplay or chart success, but on The Last DJ he sounded almost like he resented his iconic, above-the-fray status and blamed the music establishment for the fact that his last few albums hadn't sold enough copies.
It's possible that Petty still feels that way, but on Highway Companion, he keeps those feelings to himself. A beautiful, evocative and low-key affair, Companion is Petty's best work in years. Although past Petty "solo" albums have featured significant contributions from his regular backing band, the Heartbreakers, the only Heartbreaker who shows up here is guitarist Mike Campbell, and Petty does all the songwriting and plays most of the instruments himself. The change seems to have done him good, as the songs on Companion are relaxed and lush, benefiting from simple arrangements and a lighter touch from sometimes overbearing producer Jeff Lynne.
While Petty sounded cranky on The Last DJ, on Companion he sounds wise and a little wistful, singing about road trips and lost love, and any twinges of regret ("Always had more dogs than bones," he sings on "Square One") are melancholy rather than angry. Musically, Companion leans toward the acoustic and quiet, although Petty embraces a bit of the rockabilly of heroes like Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly on "Jack" and "Big Weekend." Whatever he does on this album, he sounds comfortable and content, which is exactly what suits him best.
Josh Bell
JURASSIC 5
Feedback (3.5 stars)
If hip-hop were a school, then Jurassic 5 would be those smart-cool kids who grew up in the 'hood but preferred kicking it in the 'burbs, had respect from the gangsters but secretly liked un-thuggish things like anime and A Tribe Called Quest. Over the past 13 years, Charlie 2na, Zaakir, Akil, Mark 7even and Cut Chemist built a solid discography with a reliably funky brand of hip-hop—stripped-down beats, smart lyrics and topical rhymes—that was antithetical to what Los Angeles emcees are known for: guns, gangs, girls and ganja. You could say they were The Roots without a band.
So the problem with Feedback isn't necessarily the music—the disc is packed with serviceable-if-genuinely-good hip-hop; standouts are the life-affirming "End up like This," the '80s-funk-laden "In The House" and "Where We At," an ode to keeping it real (real positive).
Where J5 falters is in the energy and growth departments. Too much of Feedback sounds like they put pens to pads and were satisfied with their first efforts; a few cute spins of phrase don't cut it when you're 13 years in the game. Even the overt plays for mainstream acceptance—the hokey, Dave Matthews Band-assisted "Work It Out" and the is-it-pop-or-is-it-rap? "Brown Girl," produced by beatmaker-of-the-moment Scott Storch—lack J5's normal enthusiasm. If the group took a more hard-charging (say, gangsta) approach, Feedback could've gone from good to truly great.
Damon Hodge
THE KNIFE
SILENT SHOUT(3.5 stars)
Swedish siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, aka The Knife, never show their faces in public, appearing only when shrouded with cloaks, wigs and masks. Upon listening to the pair's third album, what initially seems a trite, visual gimmick reveals itself instead to be the brilliant, logical extension of music that can only be categorized as shadowy and enigmatic. Though The Knife's electro concoction steals glances toward the danceable synth-pop of Depeche Mode and the icy techno of Kraftwerk, Silent Shout carves a delightfully peculiar path of its own, always tense, often menacing and occasionally downright terrifying. Even when tunes jive and jiggle, the glee is tempered by the duo's uneasy vocals and cryptic, barely discernible lyrics.
The first and last thirds of the disc, respectively anchored by the slow-swell/big finish of "The Captain" and the gothic prance of "One Hit," outshine a relatively undistinguished stretch in between. But a couple of middling cuts can't muffle Silent Shout, one ghoul of a gripping listening experience.
Spencer Patterson
THE CRYSTAL METHOD
DRIVE: NIKE + ORIGINAL RUN (3 stars)
A new trend is sweeping Hollywood, and Vegas homeboys Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland have been caught up in the wave. The trend is music releases specifically designed for workouts, often coming with the trainers' voices urging you to do just one more crunch. Thankfully, the gym Nazis' orders are left off Drive: Nike + Original Run, an original album available in the new Sport Music section of Apple's iTunes Music Store, and the first volume of the upcoming series.
What is on the 10-track album is classic Crystal Method.
The conceit of having the album guide listeners through a 45-minute run, from warm-up to cool down, works surprisingly well with electronica. Opening with "Starting Line" and then smoothly transitioning into "It's Time," you're going to be motivated to either jog or dance; your call.
The stand-out track is the mix "Roadhouse Blues," combining Crystal Method's signature sound with the Doors' classic. It arrives like a lightning crash, and you just know that somewhere the Lizard King is smiling.
Martin Stein