MIKE CAMPBELL & THE DIRTY KNOBS - EXTERNAL COMBUSTION (CD)

MIKE CAMPBELL & THE DIRTY KNOBS - EXTERNAL COMBUSTION (CD) Mike Campbell opts to put his name on the marquee on External Combustion, the second album from his Dirty Knobs. The change is surely a matter of marketing -- it's easier to bring in audiences if they know for a fact this is a band featuring the Heartbreakers guitarist -- but it also signals how External Combustion isn't quite as much a band album as their 2020 debut, Wreckless Abandon. Make no mistake, this 2022 affair shares many of the same attributes -- it's rooted in the rock & pop & blues of the 1960s, it's once again co-produced by George Drakoulias -- but it's not quite as rough and garagey as the debut. Apart from "Lightning Boogie," a rave-up that features keyboards by fellow Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, there's not much jamming here. Rather, there's a lot of texture derived from cannily overdubbed acoustic guitars and harmonies, and tastefully deployed string sections that embellish a thick web of chiming guitars; there are also sharp cameos by Ian Hunter on the grinding rocker "Dirty Job" and Margo Price on the bittersweet ballad "State of Mind." Every element accentuates the song itself, which means External Combustion sounds a lot like a latter-day Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album, a connection strengthened by how Campbell chooses to lean into the slight Southern sneer inherent in his voice. This is by no means a bad thing. By embracing his role as Petty's lieutenant while not abandoning the casual down-and-dirty groove of the Dirty Knobs, Campbell has wound up with a record that delivers a kick that's not unlike what the Heartbreakers did with Hypnotic Eye: it's handsomely crafted classic rock played with flair, wit, and precision, elements that make familiar tropes seem fresh.