Richard X. Heyman’s ambitious new release Tiers/And Other Stories affirms what his longtime admirers have known for years: the veteran singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and DIY recording pioneer is a world-class artist whose effortless mastery of popular music idioms is matched by his uncanny knack for infusing classic styles with timeless emotional truths. Those abilities have won Heyman a fiercely loyal grass-roots fan base and reams of critical acclaim over the past two and a half decades. The two-CD Tiers/And Other Stories marks a creative watershed for Heyman, consolidating threads of his prior work while venturing into fresh new musical and conceptual territory. The project finds him diverging from the jangly, guitar-driven style for which he’s best known, in favor of a more eclectic approach that encompasses baroque symphonic textures, languid country balladry, gospel-inflected R&B and haunting atmospherics.