Former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell’s third album with his band the Dirty Knobs is more of the same rootsy rock ‘n’ roll he’s been digging since the mid-’70s. “Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits” doesn’t rewrite any rules; often it pays tribute to its heroes – from the Byrds to ’60s electric blues to, yes, Petty – without getting too complicated. In their simplicity, Campbell and the Knobs achieve nirvana.
After decades of serving as Tom Petty’s right-hand man, former Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has spent his past three solo albums finding his own voice as a singer and bandleader. He sounds confident in his new role on “Dare to Dream,” a languid, quasi-psychedelic rocker full of droning guitar licks and Campbell’s nasally sneer, which sounds more than a little bit like his late partner’s. A guest vocal from Graham Nash further solidifies the song’s ’60s pop-rock bonafides.
New album ‘Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits’ available now
The Fat Angel Sings 