X

AlbumSep 17 / 201315 songs, 52m 51s

Since the mid-\'80s, Richard X. Heyman has been recording pop-rock in the styles of the \'60s and ’70s; his songs suggest that had he been born 20 years earlier, he’d at least have had a half-dozen acknowledged mainstream hits before settling into life as a cult figure like Roger McGuinn, P.J. Sloan, or Alex Chilton. As things stand, Heyman wrote and performed on his albums as a one-man wunderkind who could allude to the band he loved—The Byrds—without sounding like a tribute act. There’s a freshness to Heyman’s delivery that works beyond the vintage equipment. He sings with a conviction on the hard-rocking “Compass,” which acknowledges that rock ‘n’ roll keeps everyone young. The slower “The Difference Between Us” features superbly crafted harmonies, and the crisp electric 12-string guitar on “Be the One” and “Firing Line” deserves a place in contemporary rock. So do *melodies* as strong as those occupying “When Denny Dropped Out of the Scene,” “Counting Up the Days,\" and the excellent “Somebody Has Finally Found Me.”