Many a Nick Heyward fan has been anxiously awaiting a worthy follow up to his previous great release, 1993's From Monday to Sunday. (1995's Tangled lacked its predecessor's charm and accessibility.) Thankfully, we no longer have to wait; The Apple Bed is a fine specimen of what Nick Heyward does best.

"My Heavy Head" and "The Goodbye Man" are '60s- throwbacks, and have earned more than their fair share of Beatles references. However, Heyward manages to modernize the sound and make it relevant today. "The Chelsea Sky" is a wonderful example of the Nick Heyward Style. In a rolling 12/8 meter, this track conjures up memories and images of times past in Heyward's life. But "The Man You Used To Be" is this The Apple Bed's crowning achievement. Heyward creates collectively bittersweet remembrances with lyrics like, "What the world has done to you/ Pulled you out and chosen you and told you you're a star/ You can't remember who you are/ They put you on a pedestal, they put you in a car/ And everybody's telling you 'why can't you be the man you used to be'."

Heyward has certainly come a long way since his days as frontman for '80s new- wavers Haircut 100. And his more mature audiences today have come just as far. Heyward's music chronicles this joint progress, and does it masterfully.

-Aparna Mohan