Mudcrutch: Mudcrutch

Rock superstars don't come more modest than Tom

Petty, who twice has retreated into the relative anonymity of a group identity,

first with The Traveling Wilburys (where he was only the

fourth-most-distinguished member) and now with Mudcrutch, his pre-Heartbreakers

band reunited after a 33-year hiatus. Because it also involves Heartbreakers

Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, it's tempting to look at Mudcrutch as just another Tom Petty

record. And, truth be told, the record's laid-back, reliably melodic songs sit

squarely in his comfort zone. But Mudcrutch's convincing "group" sound

sets it apart. This, somewhat surprisingly, sounds like a real working band,

with five estranged musicians re-discovering a potent chemistry untapped since

the mid-'70s. (Petty even hands the guitar to bandmate Tom Leadon and dutifully

returns to his old bass duties.) Recorded live to tape in just 10 days, Mudcrutch is the great SoCal

country-rock record the band never got to make the first time around. As

always, going retro suits Petty, who has a ball leading the band through the

bar-band classic "Six Days On The Road" and his own likeable batch of slow

burners, including "Scare Easy," which opens with an instant classic: "My

love's an ocean, you better not cross it." Mudcrutch might be about wrapping up

unfinished business, but there's plenty of new life in this old, thankfully

resuscitated band.