Thirty-six years after his emergence as Haircut 100’s baby-faced frontman, Nick Heyward is, at 56, still making records that exude innocence and a breezy charm. His seventh solo album, and his first in 18 years, the bucolic Woodland Echoes is pop at its most impervious to passing trends. The obvious reference points are Roddy Frame and Paul McCartney, though occasionally, as on Perfect Sunday Sun, Heyward displays a soft spot for indie rock. But while there’s little wrong with the songwriting, only Love Is the Key By the Sea and Beautiful Morning linger in the memory, the latter coming on like a nature lover’s remix of the Jam’s romantic English Rose.
