TOM PETTY / Wildflowers (1994)

The sound on Tom's second solo album took me by surprise; it was closer to Neil Young than the Heartbreakers. A quick scan of the liner notes revealed that master knob-twiddler Rick Rubin had replaced producer Jeff Lynne, and things began to make sense. After repeated listens it began to make a lot of sense.
Its greatest strength is in its simplicity, and while there are a few tracks that fade into the background, 90% of it sounds as fresh today as it did on day of release.
Lyrically it's Petty through and through, just more refined, and as I get older I connect with them more and more.

Songs of Note: You Don't Know How it Feels; Honey Bee

4 long ways from home out of 5