Critical Raves for
Basic Glee |
Though thoroughly modern and fresh
in its sonic approach, Basic Glee offers glorious echoes of a shining
moment when rock music was reaching towards the glee of greatness on a
daily basis...Richard is an artist driven by more than the search
for a hit hes someone whos personally obsessed and
intimately connected with the power of rock & roll in our lives. Music
is more than a career to this guy its a lifelong passion.
And thats why his blood is all over these tracks...when it comes
to those priceless seconds of musical pleasure brought to us by a true
rock artist like Richard X. Heyman, glee is not simply basic. This
sort of glee is downright infectious.
-David Wild, Contributing Editor Rolling
Stone Magazine
Exemplary tunesmith...ringing
melodies and yearning lyrics...His affinity for the ?60s was more than
skin deep...effervescent guitar hooks and pitch-perfect vocal harmonies...Heyman
creates something fresh from his influences rather than parroting them.
-Chicago Tribune
Richard X. Heyman crafts rich
pop music inspired by the Byrds, XTC and even Richard Rodgers.
-New York Post
Basic Glee
is the most tuneful and soulful set yet from this ought-be-a-household-name
phenom. Heyman plays almost all the parts, and rarely has one-man-band
multitracking melded so seamlessly into such a joyous tapestry of power
pop. The interweaving vocal parts are Byrds-like, the bass is all McCartney-esque
melodicism, and the savvy songwriting evokes vintage Todd Rundgren.
-Stereo Review Sound
& Vision
Heyman once again shows his
knack for...melodies that sound timeless. Heyman employs an agreeable
retro-rock stance that soaks up the ?60s influences of The Beatles, The
Who, The Hollies, The Zombies and the other like-minded recruits who stormed
these shores during the first wave of the British Invasion. Its
a well-trod formula -- the soaring harmonies, jangly guitar lines, effervescent
melodies, and eternally sunny sentiments -- but Heyman manages to make
this familiar fare sound fresh each time out. Heyman heads a short
list of power-pop artists who have managed to transcend their influences
with their individual imprint. How does one top perfection? Simply by
making greatness his norm.
-Goldmine
Soaring vocal harmonies
and lively melodies fill this pristine pop album. The title is appropriate,
as it delivers 14 tracks of unadulterated joy...impossibly catchy.
-Performing Songwriter
Magazine
A gifted pop savant...His sound is
the epitome of what pop music once was and what many wish it would again
become.
-The Illinois Times
Basic Glee, Heymans
wonderfully, appropriately titled fifth full-length album, is the best
Beatles record of the new millennium. Basic Glee is one of the
freshest discs of 2002, the kind with tunes you cant help humming.
Heymans album [has] unusual, delightful depth; his energy
and affection for the many ways a guitar can sound make his work distinctive.
-Cleveland Scene
His new recording, Basic Glee,
is his best recording to date.
-David Fufkin, Fufkin.com
In this crowded musical
age, so many artists claim influence by pop cornerstones like The Beatles,
Beach Boys and Kinks that reviews which use those bands as a point of
comparison are essentially meaningless. But not in this case. Prodigiously
talented -- Heyman is offering yet another melodic masterpiece
that will leave fans of the aforementioned groups on Cloud Nine. Anyone
who loves pop music should fall under the spell of songs as great as disc-opener
Everywhere She Goes and the majestic ballad When Evening Comes.
The other dozen tunes offer no drop in quality, each one a capsule of
classic AM radio sounds made fresh by Heymans intelligence
and love for his craft. Any year that features a new Heyman album
is bound to be a good one. If you havent discovered this American
treasure yet, treat yourself immediately.
-Charleston (WV) Daily
Mail
If just 1% of the people who gobbled
up the Beatles 1 in 2000 took a chance on Richard X. Heyman,
he would be a force to be reckoned with. Basic Glee is Heymans
blissful pop synthesis of Beatles/Byrds jump-and-jangle mingled with a
harmonic sense that matches the best of the Beach Boys and the Hollies
assembled with Todd Rundgrens peerless DIY abilities. Anyone of
the crystalline pop gems here, particularly the effusive Everywhere
She Goes, the gorgeous When Evening Comes, and the energized
Broken Umbrella, would clearly have been at home on any radio format
in the 60's. And the Beatles and the Byrds would have had one more friendly
rival whose work would have them looking over their shoulders.
-Harp Magazine
Basic Glee,
another radiant display of smart, sophisticated pop craftwork. Heyman
shows a wonderful ability to regurgitate a centurys worth of melodic
rock music without sounding like a mimic...diluting them with his own
soulful stamp. Among the many highlights from Basic Glee are the
soaring, undeniable Pauline, the sweet 12-string-chime of When
Evening Comes, and Broken Umbrella, with its cheery, upbeat
vibe thats as smile-inducing as anything Brian Wilson produced in
his happier early days.
-Cincinnati CityBeat
Heyman has quietly been carving
out a career as one of the great pop maestros of our time. Basic Glee,
his new album, is an apex of his abilities, and may in fact be one of
the finest records of 2002. [Heyman] takes a myriad of influences...to
create a singular identity that is overflowing with virtue and strength
of spirit. Heyman renders emotions in such a fashion that they will no
doubt age quite well. People will still be listening to them in 20 years,
I promise...Heavy yet refined Keith Moon-meets-Ringo Starr drum tracks...the
drumming is exceptionally powerful. Heyman is a true singer/songwriter...Basic
Glee is all things to pop; a celebration of the form and a wholly
original document that beguiles the ear, as well as the heart. Indispensable?
Oh yeah.
-Listener Magazine
For fans of jangly
guitars, great harmonies and old-fashioned songcraft, this CD is like
manna from power pop heaven. Richard X. Heymans Basic Glee
is a celebration of the various sounds you can get from guitar and while
other instruments make cameo appearances, this is about six and twelve
string guitars, electric and acoustic and the musical glee they provide.
Basic Glee [is] the best yet -- glorious harmonies and delicious
melodies, perfect fills and skilled performances that defy the reality
of it being almost all a one-man show. The music gets better with every
listen...Just superb rich music...gorgeous guitar sounds. If you love
the sounds and textures of guitars and sweet melodic harmonies, youll
love this CD. If you love Heymans earlier efforts, I guarantee
you will be ecstatic about this new one.
-Pop Matters
Few have the knack for making homespun
discs with quite as much power pop punch as Richard X. Heyman...rich
pop melodies, Beatle-esque, multi-layered vocals and instruments sounding
very much like a jingle jangling throwback to the prime-time Byrds.
-Union News/Sunday Republican, (Springfield,
MA)
This album should
warm the cockles of Heymans fans hearts and stand as
a nice introduction to a new generation of power-pop enthusiasts. Everywhere
She Goes is the best Brian Wilson song not written by Brian Wilson.
-NewCityChicago.com
Richards best album
to date. Each of Richards previous albums has been a masterpiece
in their own right, so dont waste any time in acquiring your own
copy of Basic Glee. Every song on Basic Glee is a winner.
Long may you run, Sir Richard!
-Eric Sorensen, fufkin.com
Glee, to put it simply,
is happiness in the extreme, and Richard X. Heyman is an expert
at expressing such X-Game level joy through his extra spicy pop-rock music.
The end result is what sounds like everything youve ever loved about
melodic rock all rolled into one tuneful album.
-Tidal Wave Magazine
Heyman pulls no puns -- from
the discs title to his cat-filled Tabby Road studios -- as he puts
the pow! back in power pop. Hook-filled tunes like Pauline
will make you a member of the Glee club.
-E! Online
The Shakespeare of
Manhattan is a multi-talented power popsmith. Rather than simply replicate
obvious influences (?60s British Invasion, 70s and 80s New
Wave), Heyman works the template with heart and wit. A must listen
for fans of blue-eyed soul and ringing Rickenbackers.
-Williamsport Sun-Gazette
New York underground
pop hero Richard X. Heyman cranks out another effortless gem. [Basic
Glee] is a festival, a carnival, a veritable parade of 14 tuneful
turns of phrase and melody
executed so flawlessly. If you dont
drive a convertible, go buy one now so you can blast Pauline while you
cruise the strip with the top down. Automatic for the power pop people.
-Yeah Yeah Yeah
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