Petty project heartwarming rather than heartbreaking

BY STEVE HEISLER CORRESPONDENT

Tom Petty's musical lamentations on how the world is and how he wishes it to be mark his most recent musings behind the mike.

So while dyed-in-the- wool fans of the sunglass-wearing, blond-haired showman will call for the familiar chords of "Mary Jane's Last Dance," they should prepare for anger-filled rants against music industry realities. All are delivered in the form of not-always-refreshing ballads that have become Petty's trademark.

There's enough new material here, however, off 2002's "The Last DJ" to keep concertgoers from worrying that this Florida native has lost his songwriting edge 25 years into a sterling career.
His thoughtful ruminations and occasional rants include the title cut, a relatively predictable lyrical painting of that final on-air personality who clings to his freedom of choice.

That's the thing about Petty; his material resonates lyrically even as it begins to sound too eerily similar. His sarcasm-laden lament on an industry driven solely by cash, "Money Becomes King," utilizes chord progressions that do more than hint at what distinguished "It's Good To Be King."
The quietly reminiscent "Dreamville" shows an introspective side. It is just a break from the guitar-and-keyboard-driven tale of the tradeoffs involved in developing a rock star's image in "Joe."

All of the usual suspects contribute to Petty's new project, with Benmont Tench displaying the keyboard mastery that has defined his career. It was the return of a former Heartbreaker, however, bass player Ron Blair, that helps set the tone for two of the band's finest new songs.
In the prayer-like yet powerful "Lost Children," Petty's pleas for finding the youthful dispossessed are enhanced by Blair. He demonstrates his talent again in the Beatle-esque hopeful anthem "Can't Stop the Sun."

Those cuts illustrate the side of Petty he is most comfortable presenting now: an artist who is concerned about a lot but whose ultimate insights involve a few positive solutions.
For Petty, it may indeed be "good to be king" -- but it's even better to be a man more at ease with himself and the world around him.