Mudcrutch #2: 2

Release Date: May 20, 2016

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, bass); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Tom Leadon (guitar, vocals); Randall Marsh (drums) 

Produced by Tom Petty; Mike Campbell; Ryan Ulyate

List of Tracks: Trailer; Dreams of Flying; Beautiful Blue; I Forgive It All; The Other Side of the Mountain; Hope; Welcome to Hell; Save Your Water; Victim of Circumstance; Hungry No More

2 would be the final album Tom Petty recorded before he passed away in 2017. After an eight-year hiatus, Mudcrutch returned with another well-made record. 

'Trailer" features Petty's signature Americana sound, pleasant and evocative of summertime. "Dreams of Flying" might be a distant cousin of "Freefallin." At six minutes "Beautiful Blue" is sprawling and easy going. Mudcrutch's drummer Randall Marsh contributed "Beautiful World", a power pop track evoking the mid-70s. "I Forgive it All" is gentle acoustic by Petty. Tom Leadon wrote a country rock track, "The Other Side of the Mountain." 

"Hope" offers more retro sounds highlighted by Benmont Tench's keyboard and Mike Campbell's heavy riffs. Tench wrote and performed the vocal on "Welcome to Hell" in a pleasing rocker landing somewhere between Jerry Lee Lewis and early Rolling Stones. Petty returns to one of his main influences, The Byrds on "Save Your Water." Mike Campbell took over lead vocals on his contribution "Victim of Circumstance", another foray into roots rock. The album ends with the elegiac 'Hungry No More." 

The second Mudcrutch record is like a visit from an old friend, a good record to throw on anytime of the year. Petty's seasoned vocals and the no frills approach of the band all come together nicely. 

Mudcrutch #1: Mudcrutch

Release Date: April 29, 2008

Personnel: Tom Petty (vocals, bass); Mike Campbell (guitars); Benmont Tench (piano, organ); Tom Leadon (guitar, vocals); Randall Marsh (drums) 

Produced by Tom Petty; Mike Campbell; Ryan Ulyate

List of Tracks: Shady Grove; Scare Easy; Orphan of the Storm; Six Days on the Road; Crystal River; Oh Maria; This is a Good Street; The Wrong Thing to Do; Queen of the Go-Go Girls; June Apple; Lover of the Bayou; Topanga Cowgirl; Bootleg Flyer; House of Stone

Mudcrutch was an earlier incarnation of the Heartbreakers back when Petty and his bandmates entered the music scene. While the core of the Heartbreakers remained intact with Petty, Campbell, and Tench all playing on the record, original members from the 1970s Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh also joined them. The tenor of the record leaned more into country rock, a genre having a resurgence in the late 2000s as the Americana genre. 

The album opens with the traditional "Shady Grove" sounding like alt-country bands of the era. "Scare Easy" is a strong track, channeling early Petty songs but sounding more seasoned in sound and vocal style. "Orphan of the Storm" segue ways into country rock, channeling Gram Parsons. Next is a reworked version of the country classic "Six Days on the Road." 

At nine minutes, "Crystal River" is the centerpiece of the record, a spacey jam with Campbell's guitar taking over. "Oh Maria" is another mellow interlude, much in the vein of Wildflowers. Benmont Tench contributed 'This is a Good Street", a bluesy rocker. Petty's "The Wrong Thing to Do" lifts a lyric from a Dylan song done also in the style of late period Bob. 

Tom Leadon wrote and performed "Quenn of the Go-Go Girls", an homage to the Flying Burrito Brothers. "June Apple" is an instrumental, pure Americana. "Lover of the Bayou" covers a deep cut from the Byrds, as Petty once again revisits some foundational influences. 

"Topanga Cowgirl" jauntily indulges in Western imagery, then "Bootleg Flyer", now that sounds like a Heartbreakers song straight out of 1978!  "House of Stone" returns to country rock to end the record on a spirited note.

Mudcrutch got Petty back in touch with his past, many of the songs tap into his influences and allowed him to reconnect with his old lineup. A mostly solid collection of tunes. While Petty remains the frontman, stepping aside to highlight other members was a nice change of pace.