A 24-year-old Boston-area native who served a musical apprenticeship of sorts in the Mississippi Delta, Eli ”Paperboy“ Reed is in a long line of current young singers adopting classic soul styles. Even his nickname is a throwback. Still, he manages to stand out.

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Despite the many Stax-era echoes, nothing about the music on Roll With You feels secondhand. Right now, Reed sounds more authoritative on the punchy, up-tempo stuff than on the ballads, which occasionally betray hints of his youth. But he still emerges as a charismatic, full-blooded personality (all the tunes are originals).

His voice can build to an unbridled, Bobby Bland-like squall, but whether he's being gruff and tough, laying on the sweet-soul charm, or playing the hurting lover, he mostly delivers with the focus and controlled intensity of a savvy veteran.