Tom Petty's Highway Companion: CD Review of Petty's Road Trip Soundtrack

Highway Companion is the third album that Tom Petty has done sans The Heartbreakers, the other two being Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers, which are two of his best albums, and once again the solo Petty delivers. Highway Companion is far superior to Petty’s last two albums; Echo, which had a few great songs but too many not so great ones, and The Last DJ, which was bogged down by its grumpy concept of a music industry gone astray. 

The album kicks off with “Saving Grace,” a radio ready single that would be the perfect song to play at the start of any road trip. Petty sings: “it’s hard to say who you are these days, but you run on anyway, don’t you babe.” This reflects the theme of many of the albums songs - motion. In fact, the entire album plays like the soundtrack to a road trip, as Petty sings about both running away from things, and running towards them. 

“Square One,” which originally appeared on the soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe film Elizabethtown, is a beautiful ballad about redemption and second chances. Not only is it Petty's best song in years, it's one of the best songs in years by any artist, period. The strength of that song is carried over to the next track,  “Flirting with Time,” which is also one of the albums highlights, with its catchy melody and universal lyrics about how time is always nipping at our heels. 

The lyrical standout of the album is “Down South,” a charming and whimsical tune where Petty takes us on a trip back to his childhood home. Here Petty shows off his lyrical dexterity with striking imagery and a soul baring chorus that proclaims: “If I come to your door, let me sleep on your floor. I’ll give you all I have, and a little more.”