Lyrically, this is also Petty's strongest album to date. "You Don't Know How It Feels" and "Hard On Me" deal with the pain of isolation, the fear of loneliness. Songs like "Only A Broken Heart" and the title track are almost reassurances, like he's saying it's okay to feel this pain, you're headed somewhere better. "A Higher Place" and "It's Good To Be King" have a twinge of cynicism beneath their ideologies, while "To Find A Friend" and "Crawling Back To You" are about the pain of a relationship (the latter especially touching). And in "Wake Up Time," a very fitting coda, Petty especially confronts his age, with wisdom, reflection, even a little pessimism and wonder ("You were so cool, back in high school, What happened?").

Musically, while most of the Heartbreakers did end up contributing a lot towards the album (certainly much more than on FULL MOON FEVER), this is a Tom Petty solo album, so it allows for more creative arrangements, and plenty of guest stars. Ringo Starr plays drums on "To Find A Friend," the wonderful slide guitarist Marty Rifkin is buried deep in the mix on "House In The Woods," and Petty himself even takes his hand at lead guitar on a couple of numbers. There are a few absolute get-yer-yayas-out jam tunes, "You Wreck Me" and especially "Honey Bee," sort of the sweatier, swampier second-cousin to "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Petty would continue to record teriffic music, more or less with his fellow Heartbreakers, but he'd never quite reach this level of sophistication and artistry again. A must-own.


Who the F*** is Geoffrey Himes?!   February 3, 2005
Robert Workman (Saint Paul, MN)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

"It's just that Harrison on his own is a second-tier rock & roll figure whose best work is long behind him, and that's pretty much the case with Petty as well."

George's best work came out not too long before this and was succeeded by an equally towering achievement after he died. As for Petty, he's far shy from having one foot in the grave as a creative artist. Criticism is subjective, to be sure, but these comments are not only way off base they're offensive.


Tom Petty - 'Wildflowers' (Warner Brothers)   February 28, 2005
Mike Reed (USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Tom Petty had apparenty put out a second solo effort,the follow-up to his honey of an lp 'Full Moon Fever'.'Wildflowers' has fifteen cuts,most of which carry their weight on the disc rather well.Tunes I found myself sort of tapping my toes to were the Petty-esque "You Don't Know How It Feels","Time To Move On",the Dylan-like "Honey Bee","To Find A Friend" and "Wake Up Time".Don't just assume this CD isn't going to be any good beacause the Heartbreakers aren't mentioned in the artist's name;this release rocks!In fact,I could see Petty including several of these songs in his live sets.Ever see Tom Petty&The Heartbreakers play live?They're not to be missed.Old fashioned well-written rock&roll,as with most Petty albums.A nice find.


Mr. Himes   June 9, 2007
David A. Kotwicki
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Dear Amazon,

Mr. Himes review of Mr. Petty's work is snarky and shallow. His characterization of Petty & George Harrison (two of the all-time greats) as "second tier" is condescending and uninformed. As a frequent customer who is a Harrison & Petty centric rock fan, it's a turn-off to read drivel such as this.


What album did Geoffrey Himes hear?   May 24, 2006
P. A. Mappin (Tulsa, OK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I couldn't disagree more with Geoffrey Himes'review of Wildflowers (or for that matter, his assessment of George Harrison as a solo act). While certain tracks on Wildflowers appeal to the introspective and slightly sentimental, anyone who has been to a Tom Petty concert and experienced the crowd response to "You Wreck Me," would know that his rock & roll instinct is still completely intact and powerful. As a long-time Petty fan, Wildflowers stands out as my favorite work-if I could give it 6 stars, I would!