Artist: Ryan Shaw
Song: “Choosin'”
Album: Imagining Marvin
Label: Broadway Records
Genre: Soul
Ryan Shaw is a multi-Grammy award nominated soul singer who has performed with artists across the spectrum, played Stevie Wonder on Broadway, had his music featured in multiple films and television shows…and yet I just learned about him recently, when Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas announced he helped co-write and was featured on a track on Shaw’s new album Imagining Marvin, a collection of Marvin Gaye covers alongside Shaw originals.
Listening to the album, the track that made itself heard the loudest was the fierce “Choosin'”. A rocking soul number that finds Shaw learning to love and accept himself after years of neglect and rejection from a loved one (“I was choosing to get up and seize the day, I was choosing to live another way…I was choosing me”). The vocal performance alone is a home-run, but combine that with the fervent drums, subtle piano and searing guitar solo, and it’s clear Shaw has a hit on his hands.
Take in this self-affirming gem in our Check This 2020 Playlist!
The Indy Review 