Tom Petty: Vocals, guitars.
Mike Campbell: Guitars.
Howie Epstein: Bass, vocals.
Benmont Tench: Keyboards, vocals.
Steve Ferrone: Drums.

Produced by Rick Rubin with Tom Petty and Mike Campbell.
c.p. 1994 Warner Bros. Records, Inc.

Though some people might erroneously think of Tom Petty as a dinosaur buried under the dismal state of modern music, he's still written some of the best songs in rock history, and seems to keep getting better.  Wildflowers was originally billed as Petty's second solo outing, the first being 1989's Full Moon Fever, but it's actually is a full-blown Heartbreakers record - including a cache of guest musicians -  with most of the original members intact.

Is it like the old Tom?  Pretty much.  Check out the rockers "You Wreck Me," "Cabin Down Below," "Honey Bee," and the blues shuffle of "You Don't Know How it Feels."  But Wildflowers isn't just about rock 'n' roll.  In theory, with age comes maturity, and this record proves that.  Take for instance the haunting acoustic track "Don't Fade on Me," with its affecting take on loneliness and despair: "Your clothes hang on a wire/The sun is overhead/But today you are too weary/To even leave your bed."  And the final cut, the uplifting "Wake Up Time," is perhaps the most beautiful song Petty has written since "Southern Accents."

The production team of Rick Rubin, Mike Campbell and Petty give the record a
clean, yet by no means retro sound - a welcome relief from previous producer Jeff Lynne's sugarcoated fluff.  Wildflowers is an inner journey which explores themes of loss and identity, and easily ranks - I think - as Petty's most accomplished album.

The end of the rainbow is always a long ride.