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24 illinoisentertainer . com june 2021
TOM PETTY Finding Wildflowers
( Warner Bros )
Wildflowers & All the Rest was 2020 ’ s premier rock and roll reissue project , celebrating Tom Petty ’ s justly canonized 1994 solo gem Wildflowers with a range of revealing packages . A 7-LP Deluxe version did brisk business , but the 9-LP Super Deluxe collection took a leap in price that exceeded many fans ’ means . The Super Deluxe ’ s alluring jewel was a 2-LP set of alternate and exclusive tracks dubbed Finding Wildflowers . The Petty team now offers that coveted set as a standalone release , with initial copies pressed onto limited edition gold vinyl . Key single “ You Don ’ t Know How It Feels ,” “ Time to Move On ,” and “ To Find a Friend ” may be absent , but the 16 tracks on Finding Wildflowers pull back the curtain on 12 of the original Wildflowers album ’ s 15 songs . The collection also offers a clutch of coveted rarities . The occasional inclusion of casual banter draws the listener into the studio alongside Petty . After leading his band through “ A Higher Place ,” Petty can be heard praising the players ’ performance . “ Good ,” he says . “ Real good .” Mike Campbell ’ s 12-string guitar provides a jangling foundation that yields to a bristling lead , which is in turn elevated by Benmont Tench ’ s shimmering organ . This version is certainly more fully adorned than Petty ’ s formative ( and truly solo ) demo heard among the Deluxe set ’ s Home Recordings . In this way , Finding Wildflowers reveals the song ’ s evolutionary stride . It ’ s presented as a well-preserved work in progress captured during Wildflowers ’ two full years of recording . Songs like “ It ’ s Good to Be King ” will , of course , remain easily recognizable despite production differences like the absence of Michael Kamen ’ s lush orchestration . Other songs sound markedly altered , and not necessarily inferior . Campbell ’ s languid and liquid slide guitar solo drips alongside Elvis Presley bassist Jerry Scheff and Tench ’ s shimmering organ during “ Hard on Me ” while Petty ’ s relaxed and assured vocal settles comfortably into Steve Ferrone ’ s mid-tempo groove . The only song to seem truly subpar when compared to its finished counterpart is “ Wake Up Time ,” which is much more blunt and heavy-handed in its early shape than the evocative Wildflowers version . Petty ’ s growling rhythm guitar sparks “ Cabin Down Below ,” an amorous rave-up with drums by founding Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch in one of his final recordings with the band . Bassist Howie Epstein joins the propulsion with effortless groove and bedrock precision . Later , an acoustic version with successor Steve Ferrone is included for comparison . Tench ’ s warm acoustic piano chords and sparkling solos are highlights of an uptempo “ Crawling Back to You ,” sparring with Campbell ’ s lead guitar in another arrangement featuring Lynch . The song is cast as a Jackson Browne-styled rocker . The final album version with Ferrone ’ s tempo and feel suits the winsome song best , but there ’ s no denying the emotional pull during the intimate breakdown and final verse of the Finding Wildflowers take . The classic Heartbreakers ’ lineup thrills during a liveon-the-floor take of “ Honey Bee .” Campbell ’ s solos sting , and Petty ’ s own feral licks leap from the speakers as the pair trade leads . “ This is a little number we used to do down in Mississippi ,” drawls Petty before the band launches a spirited acoustic version of “ You Wreck Me .” Campbell delivers a chiming 12- string guitar solo , markedly different than the wailing string bends on the hardcharging album version . “ House in the Woods ” includes a jazzy , Grateful Deadinspired excursion that was excised from Wildflowers , replete with Ferrone ’ s swinging beat and Campbell ’ s nimble fills . Title cut “ Wildflowers ” begins here with magic words for any Beatlemaniac , “ Count it off , Ringo .” “ Only a Broken Heart ” is present in a version that offers a fragile and emotionally bare vocal performance by Petty . New to this set is “ Driving Down to Georgia ,” a restless southern rocker , road story , and Heartbreakers concert staple from the early ‘ 90s . It ’ s a fitting companion to “ Runnin ’ Down a Dream .” Like the characters in many of Petty ’ s best lyrics , this one is down but not out . “ Driving in an old car made in the USA . Hear that engine knocking . We ’ ve both seen better days ,” Petty sings . A studio version of “ Girl on LSD ” remains loopy fun but doesn ’ t have the same off-the-cuff , comic delivery heard on the live version from last year ’ s Deluxe set . “ I like that song ,” says Ferrone following the take . “ You Saw Me Coming ” is another previously unreleased track , a not-quite-perfected but compelling and mesmerizing remnant from Wildflowers ’ earliest days when even Petty himself probably thought he was making a Heartbreakers album .
Track-by-track notes from Tench , pro- ducer Rick Rubin , and Petty ’ s key studio collaborator Ryan Ulyate complete the picture of ** Finding Wildflowers as a treasure trove for fans of an American treasure and his finest work . ( tompetty . com )
– Jeff Elbel
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PERRY SERPA Laying Low in the Highlands
( Declared Goods )
2018 ’ s Wherefore Art Thou ? Songs Inspired by Nick Hornby ’ s ‘ Juliet , Naked ,’ found The Sharp Things ’ main man Perry Serpa in the company of crafty friends including Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 , Laura Cantrell , Edward Rogers , and more . With Laying Low in the Highlands , Serpa goes it alone by necessity while processing seasons of loss , pandemic lockdown , and social unrest through his pop-savvy filter . “ Hasn ’ t the year been hard enough on everyone ?,” he asks , somewhat incredulously , on the plaintive “ Shadow of the Delacorte .” The album presents pointed protest that is personalized to Serpa ’ s counter-cultural point of view but nonetheless remains relatable . The Lennon-esque title track reflects the displacement many clear-headed patriots experienced as the nation clashed internally and careened brutishly toward January 6 , 2021 . “ Torch the Bridge ” imagines the fevered mindset of someone making a oneway road trip to join “ the zealots and the heretics ” who felt emboldened to indulge baser instincts and one-sided tribalism . The jangling pop of “ Nikola ” namechecks starcrossed innovator Nikola Tesla in a wry sketch about science denial . Though primarily Serpa ’ s solo project and vision , his piano and emotive baritone are adorned by Ron Raymond ’ s pedal steel and Claudia Chopek ’ s languid strings . Gilbert O ’ Sullivan ’ s 1972 heartbroken chart-topper “ Alone Again ( Naturally )” becomes a melancholy daydream that rests comfortably alongside Serpa ’ s careworn originals . The angelic “ We ’ ll Live in the Light ” cracks the door to a ray of hope . ( IG : @ perryserpamusic )
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– Jeff Elbel
GEORGE PORTER JR AND RUNNIN ' PARDNERS Crying for Hope
( Controlled Substance Sound Labs )
Bassist George Porter Jr . is widely recognized as a prime mover of funk and soul music , and an ambassador of New Orleans ’ treasured musical heritage since the formation of the Meters in 1965 . Crying for Hope is Porter ’ s first album with his crew of Runnin ’ Pardners since 2011 ’ s Can ’ t Beat the Funk . The album has been released on marbled vinyl the color of carefree blue skies . The music reaches for sonic nirvana to
match , even while some of Porter ’ s songs strive to exorcise worldly woes .“ Crying for Hope ” is a plea for social justice in the USA that resonates with the Black Live Matter movement . The song features organ by Michael Lemmler that is reminiscent of Porter ’ s late Meters band brother Art Neville . Porter sings about being made to feel unwelcome at home . “ We can ’ t let them run us out of the place where we were born ,” sings Porter . “ Let ’ s march , shout and vote .” “ Porter 13A ” is taut funk that demonstrates why Porter is a revered bassist alongside titans like Bootsy Collins , and an inspiration to contemporary artists including Snarky Puppy . The song is a showcase for guitarist Chris Adkins ’ melodic precision . Drummer Terrence Houston plays a string of dazzling solo fills . “ A Ladder ” # 3 is an expressive jazz ballad with a cosmic headspace . On the midtempo NOLA blues “ Get Back Up ,” Porter locks a blissed-out , feel-good riff with Adkins while Lemmler plays sky-high shimmering chords on Hammond organ . “ Wanna Get Funky ” is a mission statement with singer Mia Borders joining Porter . The musical stew is reminiscent of Sly & the Family Stone or Funkadelic . Porter ’ s bass propels “ I ’ m Barely ” with a body-moving groove nodding to the Temptations ’ “ Ain ’ t Too Proud to Beg .” The gravel-voiced singer tells the tale of a rolling stone longing for the comforts and companionship of home . “ Cloud Funk ” is a taut boogaloo that morphs into glassy jazz textures featuring Lemmler ’ s twinkling electric piano . The instrumental funk fusion of “ Spanish Moss ” is loaded with twisted riffs and tight interplay , driven by Porter ’ s demented and funky bass tone . “ Just Start Groovin ’” offers the cure-all prescription for the troubles of the world , with side effects including an extra measure of togetherness and harmony . All that ’ s required is a shift in perspective . “ We can ’ t avoid the rain , but we can dance until it stops ,” sings Porter . “ When the sun comes out , we ’ ll shonuff be on top .” “ Taste of the Truth ” offers a sublime , chilled-out soul groove . “ Too Hot Too Cold ” is silky R & B with a careworn story of life as a hard road . The character struggles with too much and too little , looking for a state of grace that ’ s “ steady , even , and easy .” He hasn ’ t found it by the song ’ s end , but he can see it just a little further up the road . “ You Just Got Tired ” is one last message of encouragement , a sermon of love offered with Gospel fervor in the Hammond organ and dripping with George Harrison-styled slide guitar . The song promises steadfast commitment through hard times in a relationship . It ’ s just what Porter ’ s music has offered for more than 50 years .
– Jeff Elbel
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