The Last DJ
Tom Petty is angry and disgusted with the music business and modern pop culture in general. The title track here tells of "the last human voice" that still holds integrity on the airwaves. "Money Becomes King" is the story of the rise and corruption of a rock star, which becomes a metaphor for the form itself. "Joe" is about a music CEO whose creed is: "You'll get to be famous / I get to be rich." Meanwhile, "When a Kid Goes Bad" and "Lost Children" are self-explanatory titles, describing the result of all this 21st-century ennui. There are great lyrics here, hitting everything from Britney to corporate sponsorship ("All the music gave me was a craving for lite beer"), but, musically, Petty and his band aren't quite up to their old standards. You can still hear classic rock references: "Money Becomes King" nicks the opening of theTurtles' "You Showed Me"; "When a Kid Goes Bad" is a pop variation on theBeatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." And the piano-driven "Like a Diamond"--the best track--is almost aName That Tunefest. Elsewhere, it gets a little plodding at times, but as a document of a middle-aged rocker who's mad as hell, it's very entertaining.--Bill Holdship