New On Record: Is Tom Petty treading water?
by Bill DeYoung
Gainesville Sun - August 2, 1996
'SHE'S THE ONE' | Soundtrack/Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Warner Brothers
Last year's boxed set illustrated the dynamics in Petty's music over the course of 20 years. How sad to tack this album to its coattails, because it shows that Gainesville's "Gone Gator" has settled into a rut of generic, cookie-cutter music making -- and although there are flashes of the old fire, for the most part it seems to have been extinguished by ... time? Complacency? Easy money?
"She's the One" is the soundtrack to the upcoming romantic comedy by Edward "The Brothers McMullen" Burns. Ten of its 15 tracks are used in the movie, and two of those are brief instrumentals. The first song (and first single), "Walls (Circus)," has all the empty pop sentiments and low-fat hooks we've come to expect from Petty since he hit paydirt with "I Won't Back Down" in 1990. Like nearly everything he's done in the wake of that luxury liner, this album has lots of songcraft and precious little heart.
Petty Proves He's the One for a Little Humor, Poignancy
By Elysa Gardner
The Los Angeles Times -- August 4, 1996
★★★ | TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS | "Songs and Music From the Motion Picture 'She's the One'" | Warner Bros.
Hot young film director Ed Burns ("The Brothers McMullen") chose wisely in tapping Petty to contribute the soundtrack for his new romantic comedy. In addition to being one of the more enduringly hip musicians of his generation, Petty is among rock's most underrated lyricists, particularly when it comes to writing about relationships. On these new songs, his flair for balancing wry humor with understated poignancy and subtle self-awareness is once again at the fore.
Working with his band and producer Rick Rubin--the same team that appeared on his last studio effort, 1994's "Wildflowers" -- Petty has put together a collection of lyrical, atmospheric tunes that range from sweet, acoustic ballads to moody, mid-tempo rockers. When the singer openly celebrates a lover, as he does on the lovely, string-laced "Angel Dream (No. 4)," his lack of affectation is extremely affecting. When he lashes out, his venom is, as usual, mitigated by self-deprecating irony. Even on the deliciously spiteful "Change the Locks," Petty doesn't resort to glib cynicism. He'd rather just acknowledge his failings with a chuckle and a sigh. And seriously, folks, that's a pretty rare virtue.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Songs and Music from the Motion Picture 'She's the One' | (Warner Bros. 46285)
By J.D. Considine
The Baltimore Sun -- August 8, 1996
Few rockers have as much fun with form as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers do. On "Songs and Music From the Motion Picture 'She's the One,' " Petty and the boys do a bit of everything, from dramatic, wide-screen story-songs ("Grew Up Fast") to droll, Dylanesque ravers ("Zero From Outer Space") to the chiming, Byrds-influenced pop we normally associate with him ("California"). Heck, they even take a stab at lounge jazz on one track (the brief, moody instrumental "Airport"). That makes it great fun to play spot-the-influence with various tracks -- counting the Simon & Garfunkel-isms sprinkled through "Angel Dream (No. 4)" or noting how "Hung Up and Overdue" slides from its "Sgt. Pepper"-style chorus to a grand, "Pet Sounds" finale -- but focusing on such surface details makes it easy to miss the album's depths. As with Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly," it's hard to tell how much of this album is meant to illustrate the film's story, and how much is Petty's comment on the characters -- particularly since five of these 15 songs don't appear in the movie at all. Is the cover of Lucinda Williams' coolly paranoid "Change the Locks" a dig at the film hero's obsessive pursuit of his lady love? When he sings, in "Walls (Circus)," that his lover has "a heart so big/It could crush this town," is that a compliment or a sly complaint? And what are we to make of the alternate versions of "Walls" and "Angel Dream"? Petty isn't saying, but then, he doesn't have to -- each question is just one more reason to replay this delightful disc.
Recordings
By Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle - Sunday, August 11, 1996
"She's the One," soundtrack | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. | Warner Bros.
Parading as both a new Tom Petty album and a film soundtrack, this disc has 15 tunes, 10 of which help score the upcoming movie "She's the One."
The film is a wry romantic comedy from Edward Burns, writer-director of "The Brothers McMullen." Petty always has been more wry than romantic, but some of these new songs certainly are comedic.
Petty wrote all but two tracks, including "Climb That Hill," co-written with guitarist Mike Campbell.
The 15-track output isn't as prodigious as it sounds. Two songs get two versions, while two tracks are interludes that run about a minute.
Frank's Picks
By Frank Matheis
Harlem Valley Times - August 15, 1996
Motion Picture Soundtrack | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | She's The One | Warner Brothers | 1996
This movie will open in theaters nationwide this weekend and Tom Petty fans will rejoice, whether the movie is good or not. This soundtrack features 15 new tracks of signature Petty -- straightforward, unadulterated rock delivered in Petty's naturally raw-edged style. Petty is a purist who has kept his various projects free from the technical gimmickry of modern recording and all the associated trappings. These guys still go to the studio together and play with the tape rolling. It's beautiful. No overdubbing and faking, no synthesizers or drum machines. It's plain, stripped bare and feels like garage music -- the same formula which has served rock 'n' roll well since day one. The "She's the One" soundtrack is no exception, no deviation, departure or disappointment. With help from guests like Ringo Starr and Lindsey Buckingham (who "Fleetwood Macs" everything) and a string section of a violin and two cellos, the Heartbreakers strut like peacocks in China. They even cover a wonderful Lucinda Williams song, "Change the Locks."
Pop Albums: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | She's The One | Warner Bros 9362-46285-2
London Independent - Friday, August 16, 1996
Commissioned to write a song for the feature-film debut of Jennifer Aniston (least appealing of the babes from Friends), Tom Petty was apparently so inspired by the romantic comedy in question that he exceeded his brief and wrote the entire soundtrack.
The results barely waver a fraction of a degree from his usual course, though surprisingly, given the film's nominal status as comedy, there appears less room than usual for the singer's wry sardonicism.
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
By Parry Gettelman
Orlando Sentinel - August 16, 1996
★★★★★ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Songs and Music From the Motion Picture She's the One (Warner Bros.): What's up with this? Artists are supposed to use soundtrack albums as a dumping ground for their leftovers and B-grade material. Tom Petty drags the Heartbreakers into the studio to record stuff for a soundtrack, and they cough up one of their best albums in years.
The songs on She's the One represent Petty's best writing since 1989's Full Moon Fever. The band sounds re-energized, and the collaboration with producer Rick Rubin, which didn't always click on 1994's Wildflowers, seems absolutely natural now.
'She's The One': Petty sounds pretty good on movie soundtrack
By Fred Shuster
Wilmington Star-News - August 23, 1996
LOS ANGELES -- Tom Petty's latest is the Songs and Music from the Motion Picture 'She's The One.'
If nothing else, the average pop fan (as opposed to a Tom Petty fanatic) will come away from this near-excellent soundtrack with a new respect for Mr. Petty's pure pop craft.
Walls, Mr. Petty's current radio hit and the best track on this collection, is the epitome. Halfway through hearing it for the first time, anybody with even the slightest ear for melody will be able to sing along with the infectious chorus.
Discs: At last, a movie soundtrack that doesn't disappoint
By Brian McCollum and Steve Byrne
The Day - September 1, 1996
She's the One soundtrack | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers | Warner Bros.
High-profile movie soundtracks are continual sources of disappointment: Often promising tasty loot from big names, they rarely amount to more than arbitrary collections of blah leftovers and filler from acts who prefer saving their good stuff for their own albums.
But give somebody like Tom Petty free rein over a soundtrack's assembly, and you just may get a winner. And that's the case with "She's the One," an intoxicating collection of sweet, laid-back tunes that click because, oddly enough, Petty doesn't try too hard.
Gone are the clumsy, if well-intentioned, stabs at rod godliness that have marked Petty the last couple of years (radio champs like "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "It's Good to Be King"). In their place are some of his finest pecks at brilliance since 1989's "Full Moon Fever." With "Wildflowers" producer Rick Rubin back behind the board, Petty exploits the fact that he's working on somebody else's project (Edward Burns' soon-to-be-released love film) and milks every ounce of creative freedom. For many artists, that's a license to overindulge, but with someone as pleasantly homey -- and smart -- as Petty, things are kept earnestly in check.