Some artists bounce back and forth between solo albums and albums with “the band,” and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. You can usually, but not always, tell when Bruce Springsteen is on his own or backed with the E-Street Band. Elvis Costello’s albums sound pretty much the same whether or not he credits The Attractions (or The Impostors) or headlines his albums himself.

Tom Petty with or without The Heartbreakers has always struck me as pretty much the same thing. Quick, Into the Great Wide Open… solo or Heartbreakers? Southern Accents? Full Moon Fever? Highway Companion? Wildflowers? The first two were Heartbreakers albums, the rest solo. But the style on all of them is pretty much interchangeable (not least because Petty tends to use the same musicians even when he goes “solo”).

I bring this up because Petty’s latest album, Mojo, feels completely like a band record, more so than anything else Petty has recorded. This album captures the sound of a bunch of guys facing each other in a room and just jamming. Musically, it’s not quite like anything Petty has released and despite its lack of stand-out singles, I’d rank it right up there with his very best work.

Petty seems to have drawn inspiration from the recent self-titled album album by his old band Mudcrutch. Mojo shares that albums casual vibe and its focus on performance over songcraft.

Which is not to say that Mojo lacks strong songwriting. While it has no immediate gems along the lines of ‘Running Down a Dream,’ ‘American Girl’ or ‘Refugee’ (to name just a few of dozens), this album does boast some strong tunes.

My favorite is probably the blues jam ‘Running Man’s Bible,’ a 6-minute ode to perseverance that will no doubt become a concert staple for years.

“Blues jam” could describe almost every song on Mojo but there are a few exceptions. ‘First Flash of Freedom’ drifts by on a psychedelic jazz vibe, ‘No Reason to Cry’ is a mostly acoustic ballad that recalls the softer moments on Full Moon Fever and ‘Don’t Pull Me Over’ is a reggae number (yes, a reggae number) arguing for the legalization of pot.

But Mojo isn’t meant to be enjoyed in parts. One of the touches I love is that every song bleeds into the next one. It’s as if the whole 60-minute album was recorded in one deep breath. Petty doesn’t want this thing picked apart and bought up in 99-cent chunks — it’s an album, not a collection of songs.

For longtime fans of Tom Petty, Mojo will just serve as further proof that he’s one of the most creative and enduring forces in rock-and-roll. That he’s released an album as gut-busting and fun as this one 35 years into his career is amazing. Those who’ve never taken the time to listen to him could do a lot worse than to start here.

I’ll leave the final words to 6stringslick, a YouTube commenter who made the following observation in response to this video clip of Mojo‘s first single, ‘I Should Have Known It.’

wow!!! heard this on the radio the other day ,,thought to myself so when did tom petty start being a mother fuckin bad ass!!!!!!!! never been a big fan of him but that riff is killer.not to many memorable guitar riffs by this band,but this one ripped a hole in the side of an elephant.