Perhaps
Americas greatest unsung hero of power pop, a songwriter of uncommon talent
and intelligence and a one-man rock band without peer. That ACTUAL SIGHS
is a splendid album which belongs in the collection of anyone who cares about
great pop music almost goes without saying
surprisingly mature and ambitious
work
a superb new album from a major talent
if Richard X. Heymans
music has never crossed your path before, this wouldnt be a bad time and
place to treat yourself to something special. -All
Music Guide Longtime
Eastern popmeister rerecords his excellent first release from some two decades
ago to fine effect, and adds a ton of new songs, about half of which are even
better. -USA Today It
hasnt come out of my stereo yet. Its FANTASTIC. I was blown away. Gorgeous,
lush, smart, funny, TUNEFUL. An album album. I love it, absolutely
love it. -Bill Kates, XM Radio
He's a true heir to
[Brian] Wilson's mantle, amid an ocean of pretenders
it's that songwriting
skill, and not the novel circumstances behind the belated creation of ACTUAL
SIGHS, that make this such a noteworthy event. Newcomers should begin with
Hoosier, which appears alongside the rest of the EP salvaged from
the first album sessions. The song is as perfect a piece of power-pop as this
country ever produced, the freshness of its harmonies and the pain of its longing
undiminished almost a quarter-century later.-Hartford
Courant
I
could've written a breathless track-by-track commentary on these fourteen plus
six songs, but their beauty and brilliance speak eloquently for themselves. Had
this clutch of material from Heyman's back pages been released back in the early
Eighties, it would have filled a double album's worth of vinyl and critics would've
likely heralded it as a pop masterwork along the lines of Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything?
But the belated issuing of these 20 sterling tunes makes ACTUAL SIGHS no
less remarkable - and maybe even more so - given the superlative musicality and
commitment it took for Heyman to bring this mammoth project to fruition in 2007.
So cue up ACTUAL SIGHS and get ready to be treated to a king's ransom of
newly minted buried treasure from America's pre-eminent popmeister. -Parke
Puterbaugh If
there is anything in this world that can be labeled a sure thing its
a Richard X. Heyman album. He consistently makes great albums and this
new one is no exception. Lots of great guitar are all over this album. The proof
of Heymans greatness is that the tracks written in 1986 still sound
awesome and not out of date. -Powerpopaholic
So has the long delay
and obvious effort been worth waiting for you betcha! Crisply produced
and superbly arranged, Heyman also handles by far the majority of instrumentation
and all of the vocals himself. From the immediate, in-your-face hooks offered
by Stockpile to the more introspective likes of Winter Blue,
ACTUAL SIGHS delivers enough pop, rock and melodic thrills to satiate even the
most jaded palate. Richard X. Heymans decision to revisit his past has resulted
in a fascinating and supremely entertaining aural document from start to finish.
-Leicester
Bangs Blissfully
beautiful pop music rarely heard on modern-rock radio. Its hard to select
favorites, but a few highlights illustrate the coolness of the expanded edition.
The opener, Kenyon Walls, has sonic depth that recalls latter-day
Beatles coupled with harmonies reminiscent of the Byrds. These elements flower
and bloom on the beautifully haunting Winter Blue and the cynical
Mr. Murphys Son. -Biloxi
SunHerald "ACTUAL
SIGHS is Heymans finest, most consistent album to date. From
the spine-tingling, melancholic musings of A Fine Line and Winter
Blue to the raucous rumble of Stockpile (Heymans
never sung better than on this one) and RXHs Love in the First Person
Blues (a melodic cousin to Im That Kind of Man), theres
nary a false step to be found here. So feel free to jump in anywhere on ACTUAL
SIGHS and find a favorite: perhaps itll be the breezy power pop of Cant
Keep Me From Talkin, the harmonium-laced charmer Mr. Murphys
Son, the frenetic Twelve Bars And I Still Have the Blues or
the disarmingly catchy, string-fueled pop-rock nugget Kenyon Walls.
Great stuff, all. Parke Puterbaughs liner notes trumpet ACTUAL SIGHS
as being comparable to Todd Rundgrens Something/Anything? but to
these ears, Heymans work may be even better. Dont miss it. -Amplifier
Magazine What
makes ACTUAL SIGHS especially notable is the atypically forceful rock element
that crops up repeatedly. The rampant Stockpile has a real kick that
threatens to overwhelm the poppiness and could remind Bryan Adams of a thing or
three. The pop glories that abound here: the Association-like Kenyon Walls,
the wistful and haunting Winter Blue, the slow and soulful Written
All Over My Face and Cant Keep Me From Talkin, which
revs up to a dangerous energy level but has such clever hooks and sharp guitar
work that it locates Heymans usual magic with ease. -Trouser
Press A
drummer, guitarist, keyboardist and singer, he lays on the layers here, through
some shimmering cuts that appeared on the original disc, like the delightful Hoosier
and lyrically intriguing Masquerader Man, embellishing it all with
other songs like the hot-wired guitar showcase Twelve Bars and I Still Have
the Blues, the Byrds-like All in the Way You Found Me and the
simply enchanting The Gazing Moon. Heyman's talent and pop craftsmanship
are pretty close to perfection. -Newhouse
News Service Endlessly
clever
he proves that strong melodies and witty lyrics never go out of style.
-Post-Bulletin,
Minneapolis
[listened]
to the CD about six times, because thats how good it is. Its not only
a refreshing break in the monotony of grunge-grinding wanna-bees and hip hop rap,
its a relief!
-ACED
Magazine If
you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, at least if youre
blessed with the versatility of Heyman, one of the best-kept secrets of American
pop. Besides crafting a 25-year career as a touring sideman (drummer, keyboards)
for an eclectic array of artists (Link Wray, Brian Wilson, Ben E. King), Heyman
has released albums of his own sophisticated hook-laden pop tunes. Here he revisits
his past, recasting the tunes from his first EP, adding 14 new ones. He plays
all instruments, does all vocals. Its the perfect starter kit for catching
up on this musical wiz.
-Hartford
Advocate The
latest slab of pop & roll from underrated genius Richard X. Heyman
marvelous
throughout. Heymans mastery of pop classicism is absolute
some
of the most winsome, tuneful power pop youll ever hear
excellent work.
-High Bias Heyman
is one of those rockers with an uncanny knack to spin off hooks and melodies with
pop precision. The tunes take hold instantly and then cling to the consciousness
and refuse to let go. Impressive too is Heymans authoritative delivery;
a master musician, he plays every instrument with aplomb and sings with a wallop
that generally finds a happy medium between Paul McCartney and Little Richard.
ACTUAL SIGHS is a classic reborn.
-Entertainment News & Views
Its hard to imagine
any Heyman fan not being over the moon with this collection or any fan
of rock, classic rock and power pop. ..it is a powerful emotional tapestry. Heyman
fits together big collections of instruments and tracks all played by him into
ever-evolving mind-grabbing, crisp but not cluttered arrangements the rock
equivalent of what a great classical or Broadway orchestrator does. Hes
an original, a frighteningly good drummer if there was any doubt, the thunderous
drum intro of the fist-thumping Stockpile blasts it away. Heyman
does more things on the drums in these two and a half minutes than most drummers
do in their bands whole set. Smart rock doesnt get much better than
this. -Blogcritics
Indie Roundup A
genuine national pop treasure
a flexible, powerful singer and an accomplished
musician on a staggering assortment of instruments
his records have merited
close, loving attention. For the many of us who missed out on the original Actual
Size, ACTUAL SIGHS re-records that EPs cuts, adding a whopping
14 splendid, uncommonly varied Heyman originals to make one of the most
jam-packed sets of shoulda been hits in memory
few, if any, one-man
band rockers have ever so consistently imbued their studio concoctions with
the palpable feel and energy of an actual, interacting band (right down to the
glistening, multi-part vocals). Too cool by half.
-Iowa Press Citizen You
cant help but to wonder how Heyman made it through these past 20
years with this material bottled up inside him. The songs are fun, passionate
and varied
the listener gets to hear the brilliant chemistry that rock music
produces in Heymans mind. ACTUAL SIGHS comes off sounding
like a long-lost classic. -Herald
News, NJ Heyman
builds his songs around chiming guitars, vintage-sounding keyboards, and beautifully
complex harmony vocals. He is also a solid, hard-hitting rock drummer. The songs
on ACTUAL SIGHS show an affinity for '60s British pop, especially the Zombies
and the Kinks, but Heymans songs stand on their own without reference
to his influences. The best songs, such as Kenyon Walls, All
in the Way You Found Me, and In a Boxcar are effortlessly melodic
and brilliantly arranged. Heyman also rocks with conviction on Twelve
Bars and I Still Have the Blues and RXHs Love in the First Person
Blues. ACTUAL SIGHS is filled with wonderful sonic moments that make
it an enjoyable repeat listen
as one pop gem after another poured from my
speakers.
--Soundstage!
Network Power
pop fans will experience Actual Sighs listening to singer,
composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard X. Heymans tour-de-force.
-Philadelphia Daily News
Tenaciously crafting
finely honed, melodic, catchy songs
On the cover of ACTUAL SIGHS,
Heyman slightly resembles Todd Rundgren appropriate, as it features
RXH performing all lead and harmony vocals and playing nearly all instruments
a la Todd. SIGHS is a collection of twenty pop/rock mini-symphonies, evoking
such past masters as, well, Todd R., pre-operatic Who, Small Faces, and Tom Petty
at his most urgent. The rich, heart-on-sleeve harmonies seem to combine Moody
Blues and Byrds, the surging guitars crunch (and occasionally twang), and the
drums crack like thunder. Try to get opening song Kenyon Walls out
of your head after one listen
just try.
-Primetime, Philadelphia monthly
He has managed to master
a plethora of instruments and become a home-recording genius [which] adds to the
immense musical shadow he manages to cast
Anyone into melodic pop on a par
with Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren and Emitt Rhodes will love this CD. Filled
with sing-along melodies and hooks that burrow into your head like worms, this
CD will no doubt become the CD you pop in your car stereo over the summer when
youre driving around looking cool. In fact, if I were to pick the first
CD Ive heard this year that could be classified as a great summer CD, this
would be it. Pick it up and see for yourself.
--CD Reviews.com
As [Parke] Puterbaugh points
out, there's really nothing to compare to it in pop history except for Brian Wilson's
revisiting of the Beach Boys' 'Smile,' except that (for me, anyway) ACTUAL
SIGHS is more consistently terrific. While Heyman is upfront about
his influences, the end results never sound like pastiche
astoundingly well-crafted
songs and brilliant arrangements
Have I mentioned that despite the fact Heyman
plays just about every note here the whole thing always sounds organic, as if
it was the work of a real band? Or that the drumming is particularly exciting
throughout, with lots of riveting Keith Moon flourishes? Or that 'The Gazing Moon'
is a goddamn masterpiece? Here's the deal: I waited twenty years to find out how
great RXH is, but I'm an idiot. If you're reading this and don't immediately
order ACTUAL SIGHS, you need to come up with your own excuse."
--PowerPop Thursday Album Review Blogging |