*** Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

ECHO

(Warner Bros.)

It's been a while since Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers did anything particularly adventurous, like giving Beatlesque psychedelia a Southern accent (1985's "Don't Come Around Here No More") or copping a line ("Rebel without a clue") from the Replacements and then asking Westerberg and Co. to open an arena tour in 1989. But Petty's always been a traditionalist, and some of his best work with the Heartbreakers has been unabashed homage to the 12-string ring of the Byrds, for example, or the "Like a Rolling Stone" romp of Dylan's early rock and roll.

Now that they've been boxed, on 1995's six-disc retrospective Playback, Petty and his crew are more or less part of that canon, and Echo (which hits stores this Tuesday) comes across as their way of reflecting, with casual confidence, on their place in history. It's a solid, tuneful effort, produced with a plain stick-to-the-basics feel by Rick Rubin, without getting overly nostalgic. The title track is about the emptiness that descends in the wake of a lover's departure, but the disc is filled with echoes of the Heartbreakers' past, from the American girl who grows up in "Free Girl Now" to the free-falling refugees who populate "Swingin'." No surprises really, except that more than 20 years into their career the Heartbreakers sound more vital than dozens of bands half their age.

-- Matt Ashare