phanan
Blue Crack Addict
The only album of his that I've heard in full is Scarecrow, and it's pretty damn fine for what it is. No idea why he chose to become Toby Keith, but his lyrics weren't always such crap.
Re: Petty, I don't think he was far more significant than Mellencamp, but I think it's fair to say that Petty at least showed more versatility throughout his career than the other. Of course, I will admit to my biases: I am a huge fan. Up to and including Hard Promises, I think the Heartbreakers were pretty much unstoppable. And, as a solo act, Full Moon Fever has those singles, and Wildflowers is pretty excellent as a whole.
I think that whole second tier of so-called "heartland" rockers behind Springsteen (Petty, Mellencamp, Seger) all had their moments, and most definitely have a few albums in their catalogs that can be considered near-classics.