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Mojo | 
| Artist: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Label: Reprise / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $8.58
as of 9/4/2010 12:28 PDT details
You Save: $10.40 (55%)
New (51) Used (12) from $8.20
Seller: moviemars-cds
Rating:  140 reviews
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.2
UPC: 093624966807
EAN: 0093624966807
ASIN: B003A4IFGY
Release Date: June 15, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Jefferson Jericho Blues | | • | First Flash Of Freedom | | • | Running Man's Bible | | • | The Trip To Pirate's Cove | | • | Candy | | • | No Reason To Cry | | • | I Should Have Known It | | • | U.S. 41 | | • | Takin' My Time | | • | Let Yourself Go | | • | Don't Pull Me Over | | • | Lover's Touch | | • | High In The Morning | | • | Something Good Coming | | • | Good Enough |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Some time in the last few years Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers took a left turn. Maybe it was when Petty woke up in the night with the idea of reuniting his first band, Mudcrutch, to cut the album they never got a chance to make back in the early 70's. Maybe it was when the Heartbreakers assembled the mammoth multi-disc 'The Live Anthology,' which detailed thirty years of concerts. Maybe it was when they gave all their home movies, outtakes and live footage to director Peter Bogdanovich to create the Grammy-winning four-hour career documentary 'Runnin Down A Dream.' There have been side projects and experiments since the band last went into the studio to cut a new Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers album.
With 'MOJO,' they have taken their recent freedom and experimentation to heart. They have gone off the reservation and all signs indicate they aren't coming back.
The first thing that hits you about 'MOJO' is that the spirit of the Mudcrutch sessions has carried on with the Heartbreakers. This is the sound of a band playing together in a room not a studio - facing each other, all singing and playing at the same time. The music is alive, with no overdubs or studio trickery. What you hear is what they created on the spot at that time.
Tom Petty says, 'With this album, I want to show other people what I hear with the band. 'MOJO' is where the band lives when it's playing for itself.'
As for the songs, 'MOJO' showcases a wide variety of American music from rock 'n' roll to country and both electric and acoustic blues. And then there are the images in Petty's lyrics which slip in on the melodies and set up a home in your head: The barefoot girl in the high grass chewing on a stick of sugar cane, the run-in with the law that begins when a carload of buddies decide to party with the motel maids, and the hilariously audacious idea of opening an album with an electric blues rocker about Thomas Jefferson's love affair with Sally Hemings. Petty would probably chuck a rock at anyone who called him a poet, but he sure is a southern writer of humor and sensitivity.
'MOJO' has juice and guts but it also has some sweet balladry for the slow dancers and even a wacked-out reggae number that is unlike anything that the Heartbreakers have done before. It's the kind of album nobody's supposed to be able to make anymore. It got here just in time.
Album Description
Blu-Ray audio pressing. 2010 album from the veteran rockers, their first album in eight years. The first thing that hits you about Mojo is that this is the sound of a band playing together in a room - not a studio - facing each other, all singing and playing at the same time. The music is alive, with no overdubs or studio trickery. What you hear is what they created on the spot at that time. Tom Petty says, "With this album, I want to show other people what I hear with the band. Mojo is where the band lives when it's playing for itself." As for the songs, Mojo showcases a wide variety of American music from Rock `n' Roll to Country and both electric and acoustic Blues. Mojo has juice and guts but it also has some sweet balladry for the slow dancers and even a wacked-out Reggae number that is unlike anything that Heartbreakers have done before. It's the kind of album nobody's supposed to be able to make anymore. It got here just in time.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
 A couple of great songs, the rest is boring September 3, 2010
bunny
This was not the album the hype led me to expect. I had heard this was going to be primarily a rocking blues album that would capture the electricity of Petty and the Heartbreakers' live performance jams. I'm a huge Mike Campbell fan, so was really looking forward to this release with the Heartbreakers at full tilt. Too bad. There are a couple of great kick-ass rockers on it, but if you saw TPH's recent SNL gig, you've already heard the best of the album. Most of the other cuts are pretty dull folk-rock. Breaks my heart but not in a good way.
 Mojo is workin September 1, 2010
B. Gaylord (lakeville, ma USA)
Best Petty in years, inspired in more of a rock and blues way. He needed to change as
his recent formula was getting stale and this is a good direction. Most songs are interesting from the first play.
He's still got his MOJO August 31, 2010
Stagliano (Springfield, PA United States)
After several listens I like each of the tracks. Unlike some of the other reviewers who only like the first track I think the first one is one of the the weaker ones.
Who Would Have Ever Thought Tom Petty Would Lose His MOJO? August 30, 2010
Jef Fazekas (Newport Beach, California United States)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
What has happened to Tom Petty? Where is the energetic, yet thoughtful, rocker that I've come to love over the last 30 years? In his place is this wannabe Southern bluesman who seems to be putting on a hollow facade. In fact, Petty seems to be more of an actor now than a singer/songwriter. Even the Heartbreakers, who I've long thought to be the best BAND in the rock world today, seem to have had the life sucked out of them, and, consequently, just seem to be going thru the motions. Nowhere is this all more evident than on the exceedingly disappointing MOJO.
Things kick off strongly enough with the rollicking "Jefferson Jericho Blues." All wailing harmonica, blistering guitars, tinkling piano and rock solid percussion, the track is crisp and clever, a worthy heir to anything off of, say, SOUTHERN ACCENTS. This blast of energy, however, does not last.
"First Flash Of Freedom" is a languid jam that seems nothing more than an outtake from 2008's MUDCRUTCH side project. The arrangement is all very spacy and loopy, while the lyrics ("Through a town with no name/Across painted hills that/No rich man can claim/Run the wild mustangs/That nothing could tame") are basic teen poetry 101. Ugh!
There's a slinky, smooth groove to "Running Man's Bible" that totally works. Petty's vocal just sails along, cushioned by a relaxed arrangement. Toss in thoughtful lyrics ("I don't speak of the times I've nearly died/I don't speak of out lastin' those who are gone") and you have one of MOJO's best tracks.
The same can be said for "The Trip To Pirate's Cove." All ethereal and subdued, there's a haunted quality to the track that's mesmerizing. However, I can't help but feel that this track would have been even stronger with a female backing vocal (Say, Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge or Rosanne Cash). Very good....but could have been great.
Next up is "Candy", a cut that just doesn't go anywhere. This is filler at it's most blatant....the arrangement screams "demo", the vocal is just phoned in, and the lyrics are silly at best, inane at the very worst. One of the main cuts that makes MOJO such a disappointment.
"No Reason To Cry" is probably MOJO's lovliest track....there's just a loose, liquid grace to the muted arrangement that's downright beguiling. The only real drawback? The vocals. Petty's lead sounds like his best Dylan impression to date, and I can't help but think some hushed female backing vocals ~ think Sharon Celani or Rosemary Butler ~ would have bolstered the cut even more. Still, another one of MOJO's finer moments.
The same cannot be said about "I Should Have Known It", a bloated, noisy rocker that tries to be hard, but just ends up heavy (and there's a huge difference between the two). Heartbreakers = jam band? I don't think so!
The misses continue with "U.S.41." Mind you, I love the arrangement, instrumentation and lyrics ~ picture backwoods psychobilly! ~ but WHAT is with the Adam Sandler-esque lead vocal?!? To say that it completely jettison's the track is a total understatement.
And then there's "Takin' My Time"....man, does he ever! This wannabe blues rocker just plods along, dragging on for what seems like forever. Petty's vocal is almost pained, while the instrumentation is uninspired and limp (Oh, O.K., I DO like the harmonica!). Another one of MOJO's less than stellar moments.
It's the exact opposite with "Let Yourself Go." This jazzy toe-tapper is, without a doubt, the album's catchiest number. However, as good as it is, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Petty had followed his own advice and REALLY let himself go. A nice rocker that should have been a real rave-up, this is another really good track that could have been a great one.
The same can't be said for "Don't Pull Me Over." Where do I begin??? The faux reggae beat? The rediculous lyrics?? The insipid lead vocal??? This track is not only the nadir of MOJO, it could very well be the lowest point of Petty's career. I can't BELIEVE this is a Tom Petty song!
"Lover's Touch" is the only time when this new desire to be an old bluesman really works...the track has a smooth, slinky vibe to it, while Petty's vocal is right in the pocket. Special mention also has to be made of Mike Campbell's stunning guitar playing on the cut, some of his best to date!
"High In The Morning" is one of those cuts where it all comes together....a relaxed lead vocal, tight arrangement and smart lyrics ("Boy that power belongs to the devil/Better leave that power alone/Could be the devil gonna want it for his own") all meld together into an undeniable groove.
Next up is "Something Good Coming", the disc's most honest, naked, REAL cut. This is Petty stripped of all the masks, attitudes or affectations...this is just a great singer telling a great story with some great lyrics and instrumentation. Sheer perfection!
If only they had ended things on this high note. Instead, things wrap up with the overly dramatic "Good Enough." It's not that it's a BAD cut...it's an O.K. album cut, decent enough filler, but as the album's closer? Nope, no way. Yet another misstep.
And I hate to say it, but that's what the majority of MOJO is....one big misstep. I've loved Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers for over 30 years now, and while I'm all for trying new things (I'm one of the few people who look forward to new material at concerts!), I just don't recognize this group anymore. Here's hoping we can reverse this trend, or I may be doing something I NEVER thought I'd ever do....dropping Tom Petty from my automatic "Must Buy" list. (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics).
 Tom Petty & Heartbreakers - Mojo August 30, 2010
Linda Weatherbee (Boston MA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Not real excited about this latest offering from TP & H. The single "Last time you're gonna hurt me" is good, but everything else is really slow - probably a good choice if you like Petty's more bluesy stuff, but it didn't do anything for me.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 140
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