- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Entertainment WeeklyA huge improvement on 2002's [The Last DJ]... a true return to form. [4 Aug 2006, p.67]
-
It's an extended salute to killing time, telling stories, swapping jokes, and singing along to the radio. An album title has rarely been more apt.
-
If [Petty]'s third solo album proves to be his last, he has delivered one of rock's most eloquent goodbyes.
-
These 12 often-elegiac tracks are machine-shop sleek, effortlessly buffed to a precision gloss that buoys Petty's irresistible harmonies and layered compositions.
-
Uncut[An] instant classic. [Sep 2006, p.84]
-
Q MagazineYet however familiar its themes may be, they all seem reinvigorated... by Petty's songwriting smarts and fantastically weathered vocals. [Sep 2006, p.110]
-
MojoHighway Companion abounds with Dylanesque first-, second- and third-person stories of rolling stones with no direction home, and how wear and tear is grinding them to a halt. [Sep 2006, p.90]
-
Los Angeles TimesIt's... a more writerly exercise than typical of his concise and straightforward Heartbreakers hits. [23 Jul 2006]
-
Think of it as rock-and-roll comfort food.
-
A surprisingly moody affair.
-
A satisfyingly straightforward collection.
-
At its core, it's moodier than most of his records.
-
The album runs out of gas a bit toward the end, with a few too many songs in a row stuck in a midtempo Neil Young-ish lope. But for most of the ride, Highway Companion is worth the trip.
-
New Musical Express (NME)Contains... some of his finest ever songs. [5 Aug 2006, p.29]
-
Highway Companion contains the most clear-eyed and hopeful songs that Petty has written in memory.
-
The album's bluesy Americana-inspired tunes like "Saving Grace" and "Turn This Car Around" are, sure, kind of predictable, but they make up for that by being pretty darn good songs.
-
BlenderPetty, never good at deep thinking, tries to introduce some grand gestures and literary flourishes, but they're forced compared with his amiably corny odes to driving and boozing. [Sep 2006, p.147]
-
The New York TimesFor about half of “Highway Companion” Mr. Petty’s reticence opens the songs to a sense of mystery. For the rest, he just sounds reserved and cagey, singing about restlessness but sounding all too settled. [24 Jul 2006]
-
This rarely works as the heart-heavy traveling music Petty has in mind; while he flees or revisits dark corners in every song, Petty sings like he has nothing at stake.
-
So why is his new album so underwhelming? Because Petty has gotten away from his strength--whipping pop hooks into an emotional frenzy of harmonies--and has focused on his weakness: overly ambitious lyrics.
-
SpinMoodier moments respectably imitate Dylan and Neil Young, but often fall asleep at the wheel. [Sep 2006, p.110]
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 25 out of 28
-
Mixed: 2 out of 28
-
Negative: 1 out of 28
-
NateKJan 27, 2009
-
jyotirmayadNov 12, 2006
-
DougCOct 23, 2006Spare in production. Strong in lyrical impact. The more I listened, the more I liked it.