1980s
The Petty Archives
  • 1985-06-16_Oxnard-Press-Courier

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World of Music
By Robin Welles
Oxnard Press-Courier - June 16, 1985

HOLLYWOOD (CNS) -- The flame may have flickered for Tom Petty, but it certainly didn't go out.

A bone-thin blond with an incredible drive for perfection, Petty has been on the musical sidelines for nearly three years while recovering from a mild case of premature burnout that sprang from non-stop touring and recording with The Heartbreakers.

Now he's back with a new album released by MCA called "Southern Accents." And there have been some changes made in the Petty act, Such as using a 26-piece orchestra conducted by Jack Nitsche. And going outside the ranks of The Heartbreakers to link up with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics to co-write some of the material for the LP. And exploring in such new areas as funk and soul.

So the model has been altered, but it's still got the purr of a Porsche. Petty, after all, is a musician who once endangered his career as a guitarist by smashing his fist into a recording studio wall in a fit of frustration.

It's only Petty's sixth album, or, actually, the fifth since the first one back in 1976 was a flop (although not to some of the critics).

The latest is definitely not a heartbreaker. A winner all the way.