Nick Heyward - From Monday To Sunday (1993)

Note: CD originally purchased in 1993 has been replaced with the 2010 UK Import expanded edition with 10 bonus tracks.

Disclaimer: I'm an unapologetic Heyward fan (admittedly a rare breed in the US). I own and often listen to his entire catalog. If you're okay with that, then read on...

Heyward's foray into straight-ahead power pop and it works. To me, it sounds a lot like early '90s college rock/pop as groups traded in their synths for acoustic guitars and wrote a lot of mid-tempo stuff (think Crowded House meets Toad the Wet Sprocket with much catchier melodies). Even though we don't get the full-on 8-piece-band sound of Pelican West or North Of A Miracle, the smaller band plays great and the songwriting is as catchy as ever. A welcome change of pace from what was on Top 40 radio at the time. The re-release include excellent liner notes from Heyward himself as well as English DJ Gary Crowley. With the bonus tracks, there's 1.3 hours of music on the disc. Such a deal.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I'm a sucker for Heyward's songwriting, so I like them all. In the liner notes, Heyward calls the song Kite his "crowning pop moment" but I actually prefer Into Your Life, Ordinary People, January Man, and Everytime. He reaches back to his '80s sound with How Do You Live Without Sunshine which has a chorus that sounds like it escaped from a John Hughes movie.

Bonus tracks: I was already familiar with the first three bonus tracks as they were included on CD singles: the Kite single (which I'll get to later) and the CD single for He Doesn't Love You Like I Do. Of these three, Woman In Love is the best. The other two are just okay. The last seven tracks are demos. The first of these, Another Stupid Tuesday, appeared years later on the CD single, The Man You Used To Be. That track is followed by a string of fantastic Beatleseque tunes which should have been released a long time ago. Better late than never?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When this CD was released, I was a stay-at-home dad with a 3 month old son in an ugly rental house in San Antonio. Without my income, money was tight, but I managed to save pennies and get this CD. I have memories of listening to this in the 3rd bedroom, which was kind of an office for me (what I needed an office for is beyond me). Purchasing the CD was quite a leap of faith since Heyward's previous album release, 1988's I Love You Avenue, was slightly less than memorable. Since this was one of the few CDs purchased around that time, it was played often.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Apple Bed (1998)
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
The Man You Used To Be (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
Tangled (1995)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)