Chicago’s Independent Music Review
Ryan Shields hails from Florida, but has a familiar and eclectic acoustic sound. As you all know, I have a soft spot in my heart for singer/songwriters – but Ryan is talented in the surest sense of the word. He lists his influences at Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and other surf-folk artists – and they all shine through his tunes, but do not take away from his overall musical pallet. For examples sake: the harmonies on “Tired” are Beach Boy esque, oohing and ahing their way around an easy riff, until a bluesy electric guitar comes in and raises the song out of its acoustic haven – eventually segueing to a backwards acoustic riff – yes, I said backwards acoustic guitar riff. I’m not always enamored as much by songwriters such as this, but his production alone is beauty beholden. The vocals sound natural, not forced, and thanks to his backing band, which includes his brother, every second of every song makes you want to beach yourself in sunshine and sand. I highly, highly recommend checking Ryan out before he gets too popular; trust me kids, you’ll be one of the coolest on the block. Other high points include “Love” and “towns”, the former of which is an homage to his influences – he sounds alot like a male version of Tristan Prettyman – who is delicious in her own right. None the less – college radio, for better or for worse, here comes Ryan Shields.