Tom Petty has always battled corporations and the music industry -- fighting for lower retail prices for Hard Promises, complaining about videos, and always fighting for old-school, artist-first '60s rock aesthetics. There's a lot to admire about this stance, especially since he's essentially right about corporations having too much of a stranglehold on pop music. Not every song on the record is about the death of rock & roll and the evils that corporations do, but it sure feels that way, since it begins with the one-two punch of "The Last DJ" and "Money Becomes King." The former is a bitter lament for the loss of free thought in pop culture, using the DJ as a truth-telling seer; the latter is a rewrite of "Into the Great Wide Open," all about a favorite artist who sells out. These front-loaded tracks obscure the lovely "Dreamville," the best song here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Rovi
驚いた! 3年ぶりの本作には、ベテランが〈ロックし続ける〉ことの意志と意地が実にしっかりと刻印されている。しかもそれは、力むことなく切々と歌われるスロウ・ナンバーに顕著だ。飾り気はないが覚悟はある。それは聴き手の心の琴線をポロロンと鳴らすのに十分な覚悟だ。いまやここまで求心力のある歌を歌える中年(失礼!)は、ニール・ヤングとルー・リードぐらいしか思い浮かばない。カッコイイぞ、ペティ!!
bounce (C)北爪啓之
タワーレコード(2002年11月号掲載 (P97))