Album: Oakley 'O.G' Grenell - Moving On

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Over the years New Zealand has certainly built a reputation for polished big budget urban music, although it has admittedly been quiet over the last year or so, producing artists like Scribe, Young Sid and Savage. Following more in the mould of NZ soul man Che-Fu is multi-instrumentalist Oakley ‘O.G’ Grenell, who paints from a broad palette of inspiration including splashes of neo-soul, dancehall/raga, jazz and Native Tongues-inspired Hip Hop, on his second studio effort Moving On.

The title could very well be a statement regarding O.G as an artist, moving in another direction from his previous work, or it could be a personal declaration, as he makes changes to his life and surroundings. Whatever the case, it makes for stimulating listening, as Mr. Grenell lines up a selection of gifted (under-the-radar) performers to groove over his evocative production.       

Just as the opening track should do for an album, Moving On sets the tone perfectly for the 15-tracks that are about to unfold, as unique Christchurch-based vocalist Mark Vanilu does his thing with the help of a simply soulful, atmospheric construction, which morphs into an almost bluesy number in it’s final minute. L.A. Mitchell makes equally good use of her time with the listener, delivering a breezy performance over the down-tempo electro-funk of Hydration. Once again the track veers in and out of different sounds and textures, to mostly listenable effect.

On a more Hip Hop tip, Voodoo Child and Charmed 1 come together very nicely indeed for the positive vibes of Calling International. UK star Dynamite MC does a decent job on the under whelming Day in the Life. Magic Numbers is the perfect marriage between the laidback soul aesthetic established throughout Moving On, combined with the ruggedness of British emcees KP and Switch. Meanwhile, Sydney-based Reggae artist Spikey Tee ends things off on a high-note with the groovy Love Love.

Balancing multiple genres, influences and artists is certainly a challenging undertaking. O.G luckily shows enough ingenuity and talent that it all comes together in a nice package. The fact that things fall apart in the second act is a shame, with patchy offerings like Babylon Creep. The laidback style does tend to get a little repetitive after a while too, although there is enough mixture for the most part that it doesn’t turn into background music.

Living up to his moniker, the multi-faceted musician could be the O.G of a new style, something the current music scene needs more of. Moving On is the perfect soundtrack for a laidback summer day, when you’re not necessarily in the mood to be at your local nightspot throwin’ ‘bows.  

Available through Central/AlleyKat Records