Songs sound pretty, but fine Petty lyrics have teeth in them
By J.D. Considine
The Baltimore Sun - November 1, 1994
Because he himself seems so low-key and likable, it's only natural to assume there's something equally amiable about Tom Petty's songs. They're certainly catchy enough to pass for feel-good rock, and even though they sometimes focus on life's unfortunates, there's never any of the anger or ugliness that marks the work of more anti-social rock stars.
Don't be fooled, though. Even though "Wildflowers" (Warner Bros. 45759, arriving in stores today) relies on the same sort of laconic melodies and low-key anomie Petty has used all along, there's a darkness beneath the surface of the music, a sense that people are rotten, life isn't fair, and he isn't surprised by any of it.
Thing is, he doesn't actually come out and say any of this. In fact, he approaches most of the material with such deadpan earnestness that it's easy to assume the content of these songs is as upbeat as the music -- that is, until you actually try to sort out what the words are saying.
Petty Is Grand
By Roger Catlin
Hartford Courant - November 3, 1994
WILDFLOWERS | Tom Petty | Warner Bros. Records
Just recently, Tom Petty became the elder statesman of modern rock, with awards, a tribute album and endorsements from rockers such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Joe of Green Day.
It hasn't turned Petty's head any. If anything, he's more sure and direct in his approach on "Wildflowers." As a songwriter and a performer, he's hitting his stride on songs that are as effective as they are simple.
TOM PETTY | WILDFLOWERS (WARNER BROS.) | ★★★ ½
By Steve Halvonik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - November 4, 1994
Middle age does some crazy things to rock 'n' roll singers.
It caused Bruce Springsteen to marry (twice), dump the E Street Band and descend into a Beverly Hills torpor from which he's never artistically recovered.
Same for John Mellencamp (except the Beverly Hills part).
Middle age also has inspired some of our greatest songwriters to take stock of their lives and produce some of their finest records. Bob Dylan's "Oh, Mercy" and Neil Young's "Sleeps with Angels" are two examples. Tom Petty's "Wildflowers" is a third.
Admit One: Riding shotgun down the avalanche
By Joel Welin
Sarasota Herald-Tribune -- November 11, 1994
The Christmas avalanche of recordings has begun to slide down from the mountain again, with big names, big sounds and big aspirations riding shotgun.
And now that we're all Republicans again, maybe we'll be able to afford a few of them -- although we'll pay for it later.
Tom Petty, Wildflowers (Warner Bros.)
What's the difference between a Tom Petty solo project and another Heartbreakers' album?
Good question. Using the talents of band members Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell and Howie Epstein, Petty's second "solo" album, "Wildflowers," is scent-free, classic-rock lite; it's virtual reality in that it borrows from itself.
Even the few songs that have some bite ("You Wreck Me") sound like remakes of older Petty tunes, which were adaptations in their own right.
Sound Opinion
Review by John Lyons
Winnipeg Free Press - November 12, 1994
Tom Petty | Wildflowers | Warmer | ★★★½
Petty doesn't deviate much from his normal path here. Wildflowers isn't as a strong or consistent a performance as his first solo outing, Full Moon Fever, but it's a leap ahead from his last Heartbreakers album, Into The Great Wide Open.
There are some catchy songs here (You Don't Know How It Feels, and It's Good To Be King, To Find A Friend), some grinding numbers (Honey Bee, House in The Woods, Crawling Back to You) and some poignant lyrics (Don't Fade On Me, Wake Up Time).
Wildflowers also has a few throwaways (Time to Move On, Hard On Me). But it contains more hits than misses.
Tom Petty shows the creativity's still there
Beaver County Times - November 13, 1994
TOM PETTY | "Wildflowers" | Warner Bros.
Just when you're ready to send Tom Petty packing for good, he's cool to hang around with again.
Like "Full Moon Fever" of 1989, the solo "Wildflowers" is a creative rebound from a moribund TP & the Heartbreakers platter, in this case "Into the Great Wide Open" of 1991.
As with "Full Moon Fever," which was produced by Petty's fellow Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne, the enduring if indistinct rocker is buoyed by outside aid.
This time it's from Rick Rubin, whose work with Mick Jagger, Johnny Cash and Petty establishes him as a junior Don Was geezer expert.
On "Wildflowers" -- which features Heartbreakers Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Howie Epstein -- Rubin stays out of Petty's way and pushes him as a writer.
Petty blossoms on 'Wildflowers'
The Victoria Advocate - November 13, 1994
Because he's so low-key and likable, it's only natural to assume there's something equally amiable about Tom Petty's songs. They're certainly catchy enough to pass for feel-good rock, and even though they sometimes focus on life's unfortunates, there's never any of the anger or ugliness that marks the work of more anti-social rock stars.
Don't be fooled, though. Even though "Wildflowers" (Warner Bros. 45759) relies on the same sort of laconic melodies and low-key anomie Petty has used all along, there's a darkness beneath the surface of the music, a sense that people are rotten, life isn't fair, and he isn't surprised by any of it.
Petty thievery
The Milwaukee Journal - November 16, 1994
Tom Petty, who claims to be the king of Milwaukee in his new song "Honey Bee," had a little chat with his buddies on the information superhighway Tuesday. While he didn't answer our friend's question about what he did to be crowned king of our city, he did let fans know that Dave Grohl, the drummer for Nirvana, isn't likely to be joining Petty's band, the Heartbreakers. Grohl agreed to perform with Petty, et al, on "Saturday Night Live" this Saturday as a favor to Petty after longtime Heartbreaker Stan Lynch quit the band.
Record Reviews
By Michael Cable
The Daily Express - Friday, November 18, 1994
Tom Petty: Wildflowers (Warner)
Heartbreaker and Travelling Wilbury Tom Petty in a mellow acoustic mood on an album of mostly folksy and country-influenced rock, with a distinct late Sixties/early Seventies feel.