MICHAEL HEYMAN: Press

The blues certainly is a path well trodden. Because it is revered by so many as a cultural cornerstone and the foundation of most modern American music, it neither expects, encourages or depends upon innovation for its survival. Indeed, although it has in fact spawned numerous quintessential American musics, any modern deviations from the tried and true accepted formulas of the genre are viewed by many with suspicion if not downright hostility. What began as music by and for the fringes of our society has become as safe, predictable and conservative as Muzak in the hands of countless hacks. In the light of these developments, Michael Heyman's new album, "Heart Full of Blues" is as welcome and pleasant a surprise as any fan of the blues could ever have hoped for. Heyman is unafraid to alter the sonic landscape of the eleven tracks featured here and in doing so he transports the listener into a world painted with far more colors and textures than most blues artists (or even blues-based artists for that matter) seem to have at their disposal or be willing to use these days. Heyman paints commandingly with numerous styles and feels from "My Sweet Little Honey Dripper" performed as a duet for piano and guitar, through the hard rockin' boogie woogie of "Loving You A Long Time," the tighter drier treatment of "Mean Woman Blues" and the lush arrangement of "Set Me Free" which is reminiscent of Robert Cray circa "Strong Persuader." But more impressive than any of this are the performances that Heyman gives on this record. As a guitarist, Heyman is competent and occassionally even imaginative. (He only really cuts loose on the instrumental track, "Steppin Out.") But it is his vocal delivery that really shines. His voice is clear and unfettered by baggage or pretense. He is above all else an honest performer, who wisely avoids hiding behind the grotesque, cartoonish mannerisms that far too many other blues singers unwittingly or even obligingly adopt. Instead, he chooses to make himself vulnerable and therefore believable. It is this quality of unselfconsciousness and (forgive me I must say it again) honesty that truly distinguishes him and sets him apart from his peers. It is for this reason that this album offers us something we almost never see from a blues act: freshness. If the blues is to have a future that is at all relevant as anything other than museum fodder, it will be through the efforts of musicians like Michael Heyman.

First album of texan singer and guitar player Michael Heyman with a cd totally full of blues passion, feeling and good taste. Michael draws with his Gibson elegant clever guitar phrasing and riffs, perfectly backed by Michael’s piano and Hammond organ, which gives the perfect support to conceive an intense cool well structured cd. The rhythm section are on a par, with Roger Tausz on bass and Bob Armour, Steve Treanor and Rick Berman on drums, who also give an smart performing. Mention, among other guest musicians, Trudy Lynn on vocals and Sonny Boy Terry on harp. Very actual contemporary blues without losing the orthodoxy, together with an outstanding Rock Romano’s final production. GREAT.

This CD was such a fun listen that I have been playing it over and over. Being from Chicago, I can speak with authority about the blues, and I can tell you that Michael Heyman knows his stuff.

The eleven-track album features a variety of songs, eight of which are original compositions. While the three cover songs are good, I have to wonder if Heyman shouldn't have just gone with his own music for this CD. His songs could stand alone and carry the album just fine. The covers don't detract from anything though, so I guess that you get a little more music for your dollar.

If you are a harmonica fan (and who isn't?) check out track ten, "If You See My Baby," for a song that will set your feet a-tappin'. My personal favorite was track two, "Every Day I Cry For You," which sings its lament as the blues should, over and over, with feeling. The band that backs Heyman is skilled, and the musicians are allowed to take their turns in the spotlight here and there. It's a strong CD, and if you like the blues, you'll want to check this one out.

This studio album has eight original tracks and three covers. Total time is just over 47 minutes. Sound and production quality are good. The project is seasoned contemporary blues artist Michael Heyman's debut release. Musicianship is top-notch throughout. This is a blues album, not a rock and roll masquerade. Heyman's renditions of the three covers are fresh and good treatments done without losing their traditional blues appeal.

The instrumental "Steppin' Out" (James Bracken) showcases Heyman's prodigious guitar skills. Virtuoso keyboardist Skip Nallia's performance on the Hammond B3 organ and piano complement Heyman's guitar excellently. On "My Sweet Little Honey Dripper" (Jimmy "T-99" Nelson), Heyman's guitar and Michael Stone's honky-tonk piano give the song a dandy, juke joint feel. "Three Hours Past Midnight" (Johnny "Guitar" Watson) features Heyman's mournful guitar intro. Together with Roger Tausz's great bass line, this rendition is reminiscent of seminal urban blues classics.

Heyman's original songs are contemporary but maintain a classic urban blues feel. The medium tempo tunes, "Set Me Free" and "Love Against the Wall" are infectious romps. On both tunes, Houston Soul-Blues Queen Trudy Lynn and Diva Tommie Lee Bradley contribute superb backup vocals. "Every Day I Cry For You" and "Mean Woman Blues" are cut from the rich cloth of close-up and sweaty, honky-tonk blues. "Please Let Me Love You Again" is reminiscent of the great Otis Rush's work in the mid and late 90's. Ms. Lynn and Ms. Bradley again do banner backing vocals. "When It Came to Loving You" is perhaps the album's best slow tempo, back alley gut-ripper. Heyman's guitar work is the epitome of essential electric blues. The best uptempo tune is "If You See My Baby." This jump blues tune features Houston harmonica maestro Sonny Boy Terry, a masterstroke. Highest recommendation.

While I like the blues - a lot, I find myself getting easily bored when a bluesman starts going crazy on a guitar playing note after note that is really just sound and fury signifying nothing. A little bit of this goes along way with me. So, when I picked up this album, I was wondering if I would be listening to that kind of blues. Fortunately, there is little of this on Heyman's cd. Sure, it's here and there, but it's tastefully done and his guitar slinging works well with the rest of the instruments rather than overwhelming them.

This is a very good thing, especially since Heyman assembled a really good group of local musicians to help him on this cd. On Love Against the Wall, Trudy Lynn and Tommie Lee Bradley add some tasty backing vocals to a song that really rocks. Sonny Boy Terry lends his harmonica skills to If You See My Baby, a scorching, hard-driving number. I can't decide which of those two is my favorite on the album. An up-tempo number that I also like quite a bit is Loving You A Long Time. I am less enamored of some of the slower numbers like his covers of Three Hours Past Midnight and My Sweet Little Honey Dripper, but that's probably my bias showing through. Overall, I really dig this album.

According to his website, Michael has performed throughout the U.S.A. and Europe and has shared the bill with such artists as John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Mick Taylor, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, James Cotton, Alvin Lee, Nils Lofgren, Nick Lowe, Eric Burdon, Leslie West, Pat Travers, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Coco Montoya, Joe "Guitar" Hughes, The Long Ryders, Lou Ann Barton, Omar & The Howlers And Marcia Ball, so he has a very prestigious background. He delayed the launch of his first album, Heart Full Of Blues for over 20 years, and that is way too long! This is a real artist at work, with some wonderful guitar solos, all tasteful and carefully crafted. I felt that his guitar skills were better than his vocals, and the songs are well chosen to show off those skills. The tracks were mostly self-penned and there are a couple of covers to boot. He plays how I like a guitarist to play, not way too many notes just for the sake of it, but melodic structures that make sense. There are obvious influences in here; Robert Cray, BB King but also I noticed similarities to Rockpile and The Georgia Satellites. A fine album, let's just hope that he doesn't leave it another 20 years for his next release!

This is the debut album by Michael Heyman, originating from Houston. He grew up with classical music and opera. At eight he began playing violin but at twelve he discovered the guitar and the emotions it could convey. Among his biggest influences are Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and The Rolling Stones. But the album sounds more like BB King, Jimmy Vaughan and John Mayall. Among the eleven tracks there are three covers. Michael surprises with nice guitar playing on the ballads as well as on the up-tempo songs. Listen to the sensitive "When It Came To Loving You" or the swinging rock blues "Love Against The Wall". On this album there is also fine piano and hammond playing by Michael Stone, a few horns here and there and excellent backing vocals. One could argue that Michael Heyman's voice is a bit too clean but it is never boring. The album mixes Texas with Chicago blues and more contemporary sounds. This debut certainly is a success and deserves airplay.

Per sapere tutto su questo chitarrista-cantante texano potete visitare il suo sito che troverete scrivendo il suo nome tra www e com. Questo “Heart full of Blues” comincia con un pezzo “Set me free” che non c’entra niente col resto, ma appunto dopo esser stato lasciato libero, Heyman comincia ad inanellare Blues non originalissimi ma di buona fattura: la mano scorre felicemente sul manico, le parti ritmiche son delicate e gl’assoli misurati, quasi Claptoniani in quello scorrere logico. Si sentono anche le influenze dei padri, da T-Bone Walker in “Mean Woman Blues”, forse il pezzo migliore, a B.B. King in “When it came to loving you”, ma anche una buona sensibilità alla slide come in “Love against the wall”. Punto debole é invece il cantato, tanto che Trudy Lynn spesso arriva di rinforzo in una collezione di pezzi senza un riferimento preciso, cosa peraltro vantaggiosa. C’é anche il bluesaccio con “Please let me love you again”, bissato da “Three hours past midnight” dove Heyman sorte tutto quello che possiede in un assolo che, senza esser originale, mostra talento e gusto. Bella anche “If you see my baby” con l’armonicista Sonny “Boy” Terry – ricordatevi di questo nome – che guida le danze. Heyman é bravo ma probabilmente non un vero leader; starebbe però a pennello in un gruppo con una star, magari avanti con gl’anni, che ogni tanto vuol lasciare il proscenio ad un bravo accompagnatore senza rischiare che metà del pubblico vada a bere una birra nel frattempo.

Michael Heyman is geboren in Galveston, Texas en groeide op in Houston. Van 1983-88, was hij gitarist in verschillende bluesgroepen in Amerika en Europa. Door samen op te treden met artiesten als Buddy Guy en Junior Wells, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Albert Collins, James Cotton, Eric Burdon, Pat Travers, Alvin Lee, Leslie West, Nils Lofgren, Nick Lowe, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Omar & the Howlers en Marcia Ball, verkreeg hij een reputatie van een zeer gedreven gitarist in alle bluesmiddens van Texas. Andere hoogtepunten in die periode is zijn blueswerk met de grote blues legende Joe "Guitar" Hughes, maar ook met de Britse muzikanten Ronnie Lane en Ian McLagan in het succesvolle "Ronnie Lane Appeal For A.R.M.S."- concert in Houston. In 1988, besloot Michael, na veel op tour te zijn geweest, terug te keren naar de USA om met zijn familie wat meer tijd door te brengen. Pas in 2003, nam hij de beslissing om terug zijn gitaar ter hand te nemen, hetgeen resulteerde in 2004 in zijn debuut-cd "Heart Full of Blues" met acht zelf gepende nummers en drie covers, zoals "Three Hours Past Midnight" van Johnny "Guitar" Watson met een geweldige gitaarintro, "My Sweet Little Honey Dripper" van Jimmy "T-99" Nelson en het instrumentale gitaarnummer "Steppin' Out" van James Bracken. Zijn prachtige gitaarspel doet denken aan het vroegere werk van T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton en Mick Taylor. Op "Heart Full of Blues" horen we enkele gastoptredens van o.a. harmonica virtuoos Sonny Boy Terry, en vocale ondersteuning van Houston's 'First Lady of Soul' Trudy Lynn en de onvergelijkbare Tommie Lee Bradley. Maar ook het prachtige piano-en Hammondwerk van Michael Stone mogen we zeker niet onvermeld laten. De meest uitschietende track is wel de uptempo song "If You See My Baby", een jump blues met Houston harmonica maestro Sonny Boy Terry. Op het afsluitende "My Sweet Little Honey Dripper" geven Heyman's gitaar en Michael Stone's honky-tonk piano deze track een juke joint gevoel. De meer rustige nummers "Set Me Free" en "Love Against the Wall" met de mooie backing vocals van Trudy Lynn en Tommie Lee Bradley zijn ook best te smaden. "Every Day I Cry For You" en "Mean Woman Blues" herleven dan terug in honky-tonk blues. "Please Let Me Love You Again" laat ons denken aan het grote Otis Rush's werk van de midden en laat jaren '90. Kortweg : Eerlijk gezegd mijn bewondering kan alleen maar groeien als blijkt dat Heyman de beste songs op dit album zelf geschreven heeft. Dat een hedendaagse blanke bluesman het ook aankan om onvervalste Texas- & Juke Joint blues te brengen wist ik al langer. Met deze is nog maar ééns het bewijs afgeleverd. Ontdek dit debuut van Michael Heyman en overtuig uzelf.

revieuw michael heyman bluesey frank van engelen-bluesiana radio, purmerend, the netherlands these are 8 originals and very splented ones i may say, great guitarriffs and blues in a different way. some rocking, slow, mean music, touched from a ,odern bluesangle prospective. this guy is great, and is joined by the great trudy lynn and harpplayer sonny boy terry. sghould i say more? yes, this one is for you without any doubt.