R&B
Newcomer Ryan Shaw possesses a voice and a style that belong to another era, when R&B was about real singers, real instruments and real songs. On his righteously retro debut, the Georgia native channels such pioneers of '60s southern soul as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. In fact, he covers "I Found a Love," a 1962 hit for Pickett with the Falcons, with a passionate, gospel-charged delivery that does his forebear proud. Even better is Shaw's straight-from-the-gut rendition of the Ashford and Simpson gem "I Am Your Man." Meanwhile, three originals written or cowritten by Shaw—including the rousing first single "Nobody"—capture the soulful spirit of the oldies.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "I Am Your Man"
