What a real pleasant surprise. A few days ago while browsing on the internet I’ve stumbled across a band named Greenlaw Ave. who has already released three albums, their latest Time And Energy was just released these days.
Greenlaw Ave. is a duo which evokes memories of Groove Theory or Sample This! (although only few may recall this band from their 1993 release on Elektra). But Skyla J and Michael Anthony Osbourne (aka MC Ozzie) have their own sound, which is an earthy, raw mixture of groovy beats, street soul and jazz. Time And Energy was recorded in London, which may explain why their music is done in a way you’d expect more to come out of the UK than Greenlaw Ave.’s home-country Canada.
The title track Time And Energy is straight out of the nu soul department but it has that special something that seperates it from the masses of nu soul songs and that is Skyla J’s magic flute.
Colour Blue (note the British spelling of colour) is a mellow, relaxed song with warm keys, guitar chords, a fine vocal performance by Skyla and again her flute playing. A great, timeless song.
Things get even better with All Around Me, a soul song that oozes class with cello and trumpet adding further variation to Greenlaw Ave.’s sound.

These Streets is a beautiful downtempo song with extra-added flugelhorn, while Just Haven’t has a slight hip-hop feeling (remember James Brown’s The Funky Drummer as blueprint of most early 90s street hip-hop/soul records?). Another reminiscence of the early 90s is Strength that sees MC Ozzie delivering a short rap over what sounds like an early Soul II Soul influenced groove. I’m surprised how good and not at all dated this sounds.
The album’s closer Do You Feel The Same Way has an interesting improvised feeling, as if Skyla, Michael and their guitarist John Landau would do an impromptu performance in a street near you.

Touring in the UK and Europe at the moment, they may be coming to a street near you soon.

So don’t miss Greenlaw Ave. if you like your music original, with heartfelt and honest energy.

Tracklisting of Time And Energy: 1. Intro/ 2. Time and Energy/ 3. Colour Blue/ 4. All Around Me/ 5. Interlude/ 6. Powers That Be/ 7. These Streets/ 8. Just Haven’t/ 9. Strength/ 10. Do You Feel The Same Way ? | released 2005 by Greenlaw Avenue Entertainment

For more infos visit greenlawave.com and cdbaby.com.

[If you want to discuss Greenlaw Ave.’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]