Echo

With his blonde strands thinning noticeably and his trademark feline features becoming bloated, time appears to be taking a particularly heavy toll on the once vital Tom Petty. Performing 'Room At The Top' recently on Later with Jools Holland he looked and sounded jaded. Such is the mood on Echo his "long awaited" follow up to 1994's Wildflowers.

While the Heartbreakers - possibly the greatest backing combo since the E-Street Band - are never less than competent here, the spark that made albums like Damn The Torpedoes and Southern Accents so essential is sadly missing.

But even in cruise control, Petty can still occasionally impress: rockers like 'Free Girl Now' and 'Billy The Kid' come close to the power and majesty of his past triumphs. And if the big atmospheric ballads like the title track and 'Lonesome Sundown' don't ring quite as true, mid-tempo workouts such as 'Counting On You' and 'Swinging' sound more assured

He still can't shake off he curse of the Travelling Wilburys which surfaces on 'Accused Of Love' while the inclusion of below-par fillers like 'Rhino Skin' and 'This One's For Me' drags the album down several notches.

The epic closing track 'One More Day, One More Night' perhaps best sums up the prevailing mood on this mixed but ultimately disappointing offering.