The New York writer, who has published two books with Quick Books of Pueblo, CO, first dabbled in music in the mid-'80s with the doo-wop group the Phantoms. The collaboration consisted of a series of shows based on Shadow's street-wise chapbook Harlem River Baby. Shadow then spent nearly a decade in Nashville honing his songwriting skills.

King Kong Serenade, his first album, is the four-year culmination of what began as songs for an off-off-Broadway multimedia show. The record is a gritty portrait of New York that captures both the city's grand themes and personal struggles. ~ Charles Spano