The soulful voice on
the Streets' groundbreaking
Original Pirate Material,
Kevin Mark Trail also launched a brief but critically acclaimed solo career in the mid-noughties. Born in Wembley, North West London in 1980 to Jamaican parents, he grew up listening to his mother's favorite reggae artists,
Bob Marley and
Gregory Isaacs, and soul singers,
Marvin Gaye and
Stevie Wonder. Recruited by
Mike Skinner, he appeared on two tracks on
the Streets' award-winning debut album ("Let's Push Things Forward" and "Same Old Thing"), which led to a solo deal with EMI in 2004. Produced by
Dan Carey (
Sly & Robbie), his debut album, Just Living, was released to critical acclaim but little sales, and after support slots on U.K. tours of
Beverley Knight,
N.E.R.D., and
Massive Attack, he was dropped by the label.
Trail has continued to tour with the
Streets collective and has since appeared on "Eastern Eyes," a track on
Nitin Sawhney's
Human album, and independently released an acoustic EP, Sketches, in 2007. ~ Jon O'Brien