She's the One (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture)

Though its songs were featured in the Ed Burns film She’s the One, this album stands as the ninth studio album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. (It’s been noted, however, that the album isn't mentioned in Peter Bogdanovich’s four-hour documentary Runnin’ Down a Dream, suggesting the doc needed a fifth hour to fully tell its story.) Producer Rick Rubin makes his presence felt among Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell, who produced the album together. They instituted a tight, airless sound that gives songs like “Hope You Never” and “Walls (Circus)” a powerful and direct essence. (Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham provided background vocals on “Walls.”) Interestingly, two of the album’s best tracks are modern covers. Lucinda Williams’ “Change the Locks” is perfect for Petty’s contemptuous sneer, as is Beck’s “A*****e.” “Grew Up Fast” is an atmospheric creep. “Zero from Outer Space” allows for a harmonica-driven and guitar-heavy blues jam. The drum seat was up for grabs, with Curt Bisquera, Steve Ferrone, and Ringo Starr (!) (on “Hung Up and Overdue") all present on different tracks. Ferrone would land the job