Echo

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Tom Petty, an old-school rock 'n' roller to be sure, comes off almost as an endangered species here: cornered, and at times a bit lonely and afraid. Still, Petty evokes rock's glory days with fresh vigor on this CD. His voice seems comfortably worn, ably evoking Bob Dylan's articulate whine and Neil Young's angelic, countrified croon. The songs on Echo don't mess with the form much: they arrive, they rock, they leave. This CD isn't a knockout, but it has punch.

--C.J.F.