Tom Heyman
Deliver Me
(Jackpine Social Club)
First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2006, Volume 13, #2
Written by John Metzger
Over the course of his career, Tom Heyman has been a member of Map of
Wyoming, Go to Blazes, and The Court and Spark, and he has performed as a
sideman with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo and John Vanderslice. So, if it’s
taken five years for him to record Deliver Me, the follow-up to his solo
debut Boarding House Rules, he is to be forgiven. His latest endeavor
significantly refines his talent as a songwriter, and he calls in favors from a
slew of friends and associates — including Chuck Prophet, American Music Club’s
Mark Eitzel, and Wilco’s John Stirratt — for help in sculpting the outing.
Nevertheless, their contributions are minimal, and it’s Heyman himself who
deserves all of the credit for concocting the heady brew of soul-infused,
roots-oriented rock that surrounds his gritty tales. Scattered throughout the
album are hints of hope, most notably on the tracks that bookend the set — the
sunny-day shuffle Alright and the gentle contentment of Listen to the
Rain. For the most part, however, Heyman is most satisfied when he is
exploring the darker corners of his world of lost souls. On Monkey Out of Me,
he embeds the punch-drunk heartache of his lyrics within a foreboding atmosphere
of ’60s-tinged, barroom blues that is reminiscent of Tom Waits, and on
Bottles he somberly paints a reflective portrait of an alcohol-soaked
afternoon. Elsewhere, he adds purpose to his otherwise perfunctory cover of
Milk Cow Blues by prominently featuring its title in the chorus of Crazy
Ray’s Tom Petty-derived folk. Granted, Deliver Me isn’t likely to
cause anyone to reexamine the history of rock, folk, or blues, but it is an
affecting ode to love’s power to destroy as well as to save. 
Deliver Me is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box