A bittersweet music moment today. Sweet because Canadian crooner Remy Shand, as a singer-songwriter and fountain of beautiful soul music, was one of the best offerings of the neo-soul movement that was still in mid-swing a decade ago. His debut (and only) album, The Way I Feel, was released in 2002 to great critical acclaim. Upon reading that acclaim in the latter part of that year, and after sampling a track or two, I bought it on speculation and fell instantly in love with this man’s music. Why? Because it was such a throwback to the sweet, earnest soul music that I had grown up listening to in my earliest years (before discovering the power of rock and metal). Musically he recalls late 60s, 70s and early 80s r&b/soul, and vocally I hear early Prince in that falsetto (and like His Purpleness, Shand’s also a one-man band). Undeniably there’s the strong influence of old soul masterminds like Barry White, Isaac Hayes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, and of course Marvin Gaye. He made soul and r&b music the way soul music should be, organic and romantic. The Way I Feel is a near-perfect album.
The bitter? Remy Shand fell into obscurity rather quickly and has not resurfaced, robbing the world of great music. I think I read on Wikipedia that the poor fella got divorced and his mother had passed away. These are more recent events, however. Perhaps before that, one of the conditions of marriage was: no music. Who knows?
WHERE ARE YOU, REMY SHAND?
Even others wonder: http://twitter.com/#!/WheresRemyShand
Lost Signal 
Just came across your blog, as every few months, I scour the internet for any peep or hint of new music from Remy Shand. I've memorized every beat, every string, every harmonized vocal because like you, I think this is a “near-perfect album.” I've looked for another album or artist that rivals, but I've come up empty handed in the search for music that touches my soul. Cheers to you, Brandon. Thanks for the blog!
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fyi, his ex wife was a successful musician in her own right, hard to imagine he gave it up as a marriage vow
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