Hard Promises isn't the equal of its predecessor, the career-defining Damn the Torpedoes. But that doesn't mean the album blows chunks or anything like that. Quite the opposite, in fact. It opens with that awesome homage to Byrdsy jangle titled "The Waiting." After that Petty descends into a set of blistering California rock, wherein mood and alienation often overwhelm the hooks. He would never again sound so desperate, so torn 'n' frayed, to borrow a phrase from the Stones.