REVIEWS
Raves for
Living Room!! and Hey Man!
“Richard X. Heyman is an undiscovered treasure.
It is hard to believe the gemlike quality of virtually every one of the fourteen tracks on this album. The songs have catchy hooks, interesting chords, intelligent lyrics, tightly layered harmonies -- in other words, everything."
-Rolling Stone
"He captures the freshness and exuberance of '60's based pop and exploits its expressive possibilities in songs that can crystallize an emotion, sketch a small story, or frame a clash of conflicting feelings. Any song form broad and flexible enough to encompass feelings and ideas like these must have classic, timeless expressive qualities."
-Los Angeles Times
"As uplifting as a spring morning full of pure pop songs that shower colors and good feelings in all directions...A pop savant of the very first rank."
-Stereo1 Review
"Sparkling original melodies...His music boasts a joyfulness -- a sense that life will reward high expectations -- that is more crucial to recreating 60's rock and roll than all the jangling guitars in the world."
-Washington Post
"Catchy-as-flu melodies and kinetic, sticks-bouncing-off-skins drumming imbued with a sense of music-making fun...a joyful racket that's rarely heard on records anymore - rated 'A'."
-Entertainment Weekly
"Melodic yet intense aggressive rock and roll."
-Cash Box
"There's more to Heyman than catchy power pop. Hey Man! is a collection of rich melodies that reflects his love for the Beatles, Beach Boys and Phil Spector. He plays almost all the instruments himself but unlike many overdub junkies, he's got kickin' rhythms, too. In fact, he was good enough behind the drum kit to back guitar god Link Wray before setting off after stardom."
-Musician Magazine
"A veritable pop-rock feast...Hey Man! is a masterful work from an artist with talent to spare."
-Goldmine
"Lovestruck pop of uncommon intelligence...he joins a proud line with his smart, singalongable LP."
-L.A. Style
"Great rock tunes in the grand Beatles/Byrds/Dylan/Who tradition, with complex lyric/rhyme schemes that warrant the invention of the phrase Heymanesque"
-East Coast Rocker
"This is one of the most impressive debut albums I've heard in ages...Living Room!! is brilliant and so is Heyman's future."
-San Diego Reader
"Living Room!! is one of those great unknown pop gems that music fans continually search for...His songs are pure magic."
-Nashville Scene
"Remarkable songs...Heyman's claim to future fame is indisputable."
-The Musician's Exchange
"His tight pop song structures stick out from the pack." -CMJ New Music Report
"A striking collection of fourteen brilliant-crafted pop gems...Heyman comes off like a modern day Ray Davies."
-Friday Morning Quarterback
"Pretty classy sound for an album that was indeed recorded in a converted living room...a fine songwriter in the early Beatles tradition."
-Rock & Roll Confidential
"The most refreshing album I've heard all year."
-Boulder Daily Camera
"The debut from Richard X. Heyman knocked me off my seat from the first listen...the strongest introduction I've had to any artist in quite a while."
-Blow Out Your Speakers
"Folk melodies sandwiched between brilliant harmonies, all in the name of pop...a remarkable achievement of a singular kind."
-Alternative Press International
"This multi-talented musician sings and plays with the immediacy and directness of a songwriter who knows exactly how he wants his songs to sound. Hey Man! is a sonic painting of one man's musical universe, colored with extremely catchy, rewarding tunes...every other song on this album could have been released as a single."
-Discovery
"A stunning piece of work...exceptional, catchy, witty, and meaningful."
LA Express
"Heyman comes up a winner, full of Byrdsy harmonies and stainless steel riffs - a convincing case for the continuing viability of 60's pop in the 90's."
-Boston Phoenix
"This is the sound to make pop music whole again...Heyman's songs have that classic pop air about them that chases the blues away."
-Alternative Press
"He compromises none of his creative integrity on Hey Man!, his major-label debut, again playing virtually all of the instruments and writing snappy, well-crafted pop songs...once you get beyond the clever hooks, you'll still be marveling at Heyman's effortless command of melody and his ability to sound like a terrific rock'n'roll band all by himself."
-CD Review
"A great band which consists of Heyman, Heyman, and Heyman. Playing everything himself and sounding like the tightest band around.
-CMJ New Music Report
"Songwriting so facile and hook-thick it seems a matter of instinct."
-Pulse Magazine
"If there were any justice in this world, Richard X. Heyman would be a household name. Hey Man! offers over a dozen well-written and well-played no-nonsense power pop tunes that are even all the more amazing since every backing vocal and every instrument is played by none other than Heyman. A+"
-Times News
"From the utterly addictive, bright opening of 'Falling Away' to the final notes on this fourteen cut collection, Heyman's music dances with a life of its own, and it insists that you dance, too."
-Record Journal
"An amazing potpourri of musical styles and genres, all anchored by Heyman's unique pop sensibilities and rich voice...Destined for most critics' end-of-the-year top album polls...Rings with a joy and exuberance that the listener immediately picks up on; a stunning album.
-Sun 'n' Fun
"Heyman is an immensely talented and extremely underrated artist."
-Sunday Republican
"Nearly every cut is a pop gem...Hey Man! is both impressive and fun. 'A'."
-Lincoln Nebraska Journal
"If you were pushing buttons in the car and came across Heyman's music, you would think you had found an obscure song on a classic rock station and you'd stay tuned."
-High Performance Review
"Meet Richard X. Heyman -- drummer, guitarist, keyboardist, Civil War buff and pop writer extraordinaire. Seemingly he dropped from the sky with what may be the year's best pop/rock outing. Where did this guy come from? He just seemed to appear out of nowhere with a lifetime supply of stellar tunes. Hey Man! is unique and magical."
-Republican American