RYAN SHAW

Real Love

thisisryanshaw.com

Sharp suit, buttery voice, record label that abbreviates as D-Tone: These elements will ring familiar to fans of neo-soul music. For sure, Ryan Shaw shares much in common with the good folks at Daptone, the Brooklyn imprint renowned for reviving the look and sound of the ’60s and ’70s. Throughout his second album, Shaw digs deep into the Motown and Al Green grooves he heard growing up in Georgia, and while he could have lingered in the past and turned out a terrific disc, his ambitions lie elsewhere. On “Karina” and “That Is Why,” he strives for the splashy, retro-modern sheen of Cee Lo Green. If he’s not quite the sonic space cadet that Cee Lo is, his levelheadedness serves him well. On “Evermore,” more of a ’90s-style adult-contemporary take on R&B, Shaw chills with veteran Philly crooners the Soul Survivors, reveling in the supreme smoothness. Shaw heats up on “Can’t Hear the Music”—Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” retooled as funky-fresh summer jam—and cools back down on closer “Morning Noon & Night,” a Sam Cooke redo that doesn’t feel redundant.