Tom Petty can be sort of a hit or miss individual: he's produced some of our favorite tracks of all time, and also his own fair share of "eh" moments. He never really creates a bad record, but he's pretty damn good at making so-so records whenever the mood hits him. So when we heard Petty was releasing his first record with The Heartbreakers in 8 years (the last was the underwhelming The Last DJ), we were both excited and cautious.
Well now Mojo (cover above) is starting to get it's footing, and we have to admit: we're intrigued. Not only is the band mounting a full scale tour (starting June 1st) behind the record, but they're also giving away the record when you buy a ticket to their live show, and kicking off with an SNL appearance next weekend. What's more, the first single from the record, "The First Flash Of Freedom", has dropped, and it's dissimilar to anything we've heard from Petty in a long time.
The track starts out with a typical Petty guitar riff, but then rapidly immerses itself in a slow groove. The band is laid back, Petty is restrained, and even Mike Cambell's notorious lead guitar is in full on groove mode. While the track shows the band bringing the vibe of a live rock jam into the studio, the production is classic Petty, with all the sounds clean and up front, and frankly, it really works.
We're not exactly sure why this track (despite it's appeal, it doesn't scream "radio") was picked as the lead single for the record, but it certainly does it's job at getting us stoked to hear Mojo in full. And for Tom Petty and Co, that's a good thing.
Mojo drops June 15th.
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