I first heard of Shaun Ruymen a while ago after a friend saw him in his native New Jersey supporting Josh Gracin and passed along his track ‘If You Ask Me’. It’s nice to hear that with his new release, ‘Today Is The Day’, he hasn’t lost any of the positive feel of that first track.
That isn’t to say that this new collection of tracks (seven in total) doesn’t show any growth, it does, but the sunshine vibe hasn’t dulled. No songs full of hatred for a girl who’ve ‘done him wrong’, this guy’s CD is full of life-affirming and positive tracks that will leave you with a grin on your face. No searching, melancholy but don’t think that means a lack depth. Indeed, Ruymen’s songs exude a happiness that some cynics would relegate to Kodak commercials, yet there’s an authenticity to his lyrics, helped in no small part in their delivery by his fabulous, clear voice. In the midst of the day to day drudgery, Ruymen’s songs are uplifting, something sorely lacking from a lot of music. Having this on your mp3 player for any length of time will have you believing in the whole ‘love’ and ‘happy ever after’ business all over again.
Crafting music perfectly suited to a summer road-trip, and already being featured on MTV’s The Real World: New Orleans and feature film You Again, Ruymen’s star is most definitely in the ascendancy. Roll down your windows and enjoy the ride!
Go here http://soundcloud.com/shaunruymenmusic/sets/today-is-the-day-1/ to listen to the album preview.
http://www.shaunruymen.com/home.html
