Laurel providing singular shade (4)
I believe the answer is:
stan
'laurel' is the definition.
(comedian Stan Laurel is an example)
'singular shade' is the wordplay.
'singular' becomes 's' (abbreviation sometimes used in dictionaries).
'shade' becomes 'tan' (I have seen 'Shade of brown' mean 'tan' so perhaps 'shade' could also mean 'tan').
's'+'tan'='STAN'
'providing' is the link.
(Other definitions for stan that I've seen before include "guy" , "Ollie's partner" , "One of the comic duo" , "- Laurel, comedian" , "Eminem hit; man's name" .)