Stop looking for the next rock messiah. Billed as 'Woody Allen with a harmonica', He-Art alias Derrick Shannon stakes his territory as a wry anti-folkie rendering trippy, humorous, and literate compositions evocative of Loudon Wainwright III. He-Art's high-pitched nasal vocal delivery is the perfect vehicle to convey the writers affection and disaffection with a crumbling world around him. Though he pastes together a few snappy pop hooks in 'Carpet-lined Stone Box' - that bemoans the travails of 21st century men - raucous glam anthems such as 'Tuff Luv' and the delicate, irreverent song fragments 'Tell Me' and 'Good Ole' Boys Theme Song' reveal Shannon as a romantic troubadour. 'Song for the Artist In You' bolstered by harmonica lines worthy of Dylan's (New Morning) will send female psychology majors to swoon. He-Art a He-Man? Find out with Swinging Naked From the Vine. - Tom Semioli

“Evil but cute, subversive but loving, music that even your parents will unknowingly enjoy.” A press kit quote is probably the statement that can best capture what I’m thinking. Not surprisingly, I believe my parents actually might enjoy this music, if nothing else it would give them some perspective for my own weirdness and evil but cute nature. While I feel that most might describe this as eccentric, He-Art’s music feels much more normal and un-checked than anything I’ve heard in awhile. Much like the physical act of actually swinging naked from a vine, this record is bold, outrageously silly at times, primal, truthtelling, and capable of taking a stab at poking itself right in the eye. It’s mercurial in its makeup, taking awkward thoughts and actions in and surrounding them with melody in a surprisingly catchy way. It feels like listening to something from another time and place, and it’s OK, because like any good book or weird fairy tale or rhyme, you connect with it on an unadulterated level that makes you feel good about yourself. I don’t think Heart is that eccentric, no, rather I think it touches on that inner part of yourself that shows up in your dreams, where things are strange and can be fantastic because the boundaries that hold in our revisionist behavior during daylight, at our jobs or at school, just don’t exist. Let’s face it, it’s the kind of world that we all want to cavort and run around in, and Heart has found a way to bring it into his own life a good deal of the time. I had such a blast listening to this, it’s like an inexpensive bit of therapy if you’re in need of a boost. And speaking in musical merits, this record has it all, it’s witty, poignant, plays on lyrical content and truly shows a mastery of how to harness that otherworldly “magic” and translate it into melody that you can actually sing along to. I can dig it, and fans of bands like Violent Femmes, Pixies, and the songwriting insight of Bob Dylan will truly enjoy this break from the more predictable plane of the musical landscape. Take a leap, it’s like tripping in a land where you can truly be yourself. Standout tracks: “To the Moon”, “Tuff Luv”, “Song for the Artist in You”, “Carpet Lined Stone Box”, “She Won’t”