I attended a showcase last night at the Cutting Room in NYC for a really awesome new singer named Ryan Shaw. His music is old-style soul and he just belts it out. His material is really catchy, his stage presence is very good, and his voice is awesome–very rangy and powerful.

He was accompanied by a 5-piece band, which only had 3 instrumentalists: a solid drummer; a bass player named “Tiny” who was about 6′5″ and grooved steadily on a 5-string throughout (and then blew away the audience with a virtuosic slapping-and-popping solo); and a guitarist who played lots of little three-and-four-note, high-voiced chords that were a throwback to Stax and Steve Cropper. The other two band members were male background singers who provided harmonies and counterpoint to Shaw’s vocal stylings.

Shaw’s CD will be coming out on Columbia in early April. Definitely watch for this guy, he has the talent to really go places. I’m also glad to see a resurgence in old-style soul music (check out James Hunter who’s another soul revivalist). Shaw will be touring soon with Robert Randolph, so check him out.