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September 25, 2020

Michael Kiwanuka wins 2020 Mercury prize

The 2020 Mercury prize for the year’s best British album has gone to Michael Kiwanuka for his self-titled album, 'Kiwanuka', BBC reports. He has been nominated for each of his previous albums: 'Home Again' (2012) and 'Love & Hate' (2016). He gets the honor and wins £25,000 this year. The other nominated artists this year were Anna Meredith, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Georgia, Kano, Lanterns on the Lake, Laura Marling, Moses Boyd, Porridge Radio, Sports Team, and Stormzy.

Dua Lipa / Laura Marling / Charli XCX

Female artists and female-fronted bands - like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, and Porridge Radio - have outnumbered men on the shortlist for this year's Mercury Prize, for the first time in its 29-year history, Sky reports. A total of seven female or female-fronted acts (of 12 nominees) made the 2020 shortlist; the previous highest total was five. In general, this year pop dominated the shortlist, with none left of the field albums.

The nominees:

Anna Meredith - ‘FIBS‘
Charli XCX - ‘how i’m feeling now‘
Dua Lipa - ‘Future Nostalgia‘
Georgia - ‘Seeking Thrills‘
Kano - ‘Hoodies All Summer‘
Lanterns on the Lake - ‘Spook the Herd‘
Laura Marling - ‘Song for Our Daughter‘
Michael Kiwanuka - ‘KIWANUKA‘
Moses Boyd - ‘Dark Matter‘
Porridge Radio - ‘Every Bad‘
Sports Team - ‘Deep Down Happy‘
Stormzy - ‘Heavy is the Head‘

Eddy Lee Rider

'Expected to Fly' by Eddy Lee Rider is a big-rock song about losing a friend; Illuminati Hotties' awesome titled 'Will I Get Canceled If I Write a Song Called, 'If You Were a Man You'd Be So Cancelled' is a minute-and-something noise-rock and punk attitude blast; Michael Kiwanuka's dance song? - yes, when remixed by Bonobo; Mexico City's Mint Field go shoegaze psychedelia on 'Contingencia'; an average Kid Cudi and an awesome Eminem on their collaboration 'The Adventures Of Moon Man & Slim Shady'; it's more of the old stuff, but it's still great celebratory & happy Sufjan Stevens in 'My Rajneesh'; Kaytranada doesn't go wrong with his dance-pop - 'Look Easy'; Calabashed is a sort-of jazz-supergroup delivering smooth soul-jazz in 'Ode To Jazzman John Clarke'; Bettye LaVette remade songs by mighty women, one of these is timeless and powerful 'One More Song'; Avenue Beat don't appreciate this year particularly, but 'F2020' is huge on TikTok; Pallbearer go trad-doom on 'Forgotten Days'; 'Midnight Watch' by Burt Bacharach and Daniel Tashian is, well, just lovely; Greg Puciato formerly of Dilling Escape Plan is back with post-hardcore sludge combo - 'Do You Need Me To Remind You'.

Jamila Woods

PopMatters made a good selection of 15 best R'n'B/soul albums published in 2019. There's Emeli Sandé with "a real touch of warmth and love" on her 'Real Life', Michael Kiwanuka with "luminous songs", Jamila Woods with songs that "feel like individual baptisms as much as compositions" and, obviously, a dozen others. Check the full list […]

This week the English singer-songwriter is releasing his third album, and critics really like it so far: "Gorgeous third album" - Telegraph (five of five stars); "Kiwanuka has uncovered as much of himself as he ever has, and he’s fully engaged and in tune with his own identity" - The Line of Best Fit; "Effortlessly […]