An acolyte of the Todd Rundgren school of lone-wolf power-pop, Richard X. Heyman has gone it mostly alone for two decades now. Playing nearly every instrument on records like 1988's Living Room!! and 1991's Hey Man! (his brief but sparkling flirtation with major-label backing), he's produced a slim but sturdy catalogue of superior pop music that's helped set the stage for modern one-man bands such as Jason Falkner.
"I'm That Kind Of Man" comes from Actual Sighs, Heyman's re-recording of his six-song 1986 debut, Actual Size. One of the 14 songs that didn't make the cut on the original release, it starts out with a guitar riff that flirts with resolution while holding off on the landing as long as it can. It adds tension to what would otherwise be a simple, propulsive beat with flying momentum.
The combination works, considering that the lyrics update "The Wanderer," a self-portrait of someone who won't be pinned down. Singing like Bon Scott being led by his conscience rather than his libido, Heyman offers up the song as a warning. But he's still not going to stop being trouble.
Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'
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