Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs - Wreckless Abandon (2020)

Mike Campbell formed the Dirty Knobs back in the 2000s, using it as a creative outlet whenever Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers weren't in the middle of a project. Following Petty's tragic 2017 death, Campbell decided it was time for the band to record their first album, a process that was complicated slightly by the guitarist deciding to take a gig in Fleetwood Mac's 50th anniversary tour. The Mac shows delayed the release of Wreckless Abandon (as did the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020), but the Dirty Knobs make the kind of music that isn't strictly tied to the calendar; they're not following fashion, they're sticking to their own groove. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the band's groove is quite reminiscent of that of the Heartbreakers, drawing from the same love of British Invasion, hard rock, blues, guitar pop, and garage. The difference is, the Dirty Knobs are lead by a guitarist, so Wreckless Abandon is noisier, dirtier, and sometimes heavier than a Heartbreakers record, a tendency that's leavened by the group's fondness for melody and a distinct sense of good humor that bubbles up on the simmering blues shuffle "Fuck That Guy" and the ZZ Top nod "Don't Knock the Boogie." Another difference is that Campbell sings like a lead guitarist, with a voice so thin it can almost seem pinched. His cadence and phrasing often recall those of Petty, so initially it's not hard to imagine these tunes as a collection of writing demos for his departed friends, but spend more time with Wreckless Abandon, and it becomes clear how Campbell's taste and aesthetic meshed with Petty so thoroughly, he can write a pretty good Heartbreakers record on his own.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo