Kiwanuka (album)

Last updated

Kiwanuka
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka.png
Studio album by
Michael Kiwanuka
Released1 November 2019 (2019-11-01)
Genre Psychedelic soul [1]
Length51:13
Label
Producer
Michael Kiwanuka chronology
Love & Hate
(2016)		Kiwanuka
(2019)		 Small Changes
(2024)
Singles from Kiwanuka
  1. "You Ain't the Problem"
    Released: 13 August 2019
  2. "Hero"
    Released: 10 October 2019
  3. "Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)"
    Released: 16 October 2019
  4. "Light"
    Released: 19 June 2020
  5. "Rolling"
    Released: 2020

Kiwanuka is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka. It was released on 1 November 2019 through Polydor and Interscope Records. [2] [3] The album won the 2020 Mercury Prize, [4] and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 63rd Grammy Awards.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.5/10 [5]
Metacritic 89/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
Pitchfork 7.5/10 [12]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [13]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Kiwanuka has a score of 89 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [6] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [5]

Dave Simpson of The Guardian hailed Kiwanuka as a "bold, expansive, heartfelt, sublime album" and one of the best of the decade, [9] while Dorian Lynskey of Q called it a "compassionate, career-defining masterpiece". In her review for NME , Elizabeth Aubrey highlighted the personal nature of its lyrics, commending it as "a daring leap of self-affirmation." [11] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described it as "an album in which a troubled spirit seeks the relief of music to mesmerising and charged effect." [15] In a year-end essay for Slate , Ann Powers cited Kiwanuka as proof that the album format is not dead but rather undergoing a "metamorphosis", with artists such as Kiwanuka utilizing the concept album through the culturally-relevant autobiographical narratives, which in this case is a "song cycle alchemizing violence through compassion". [16]

The album won the Mercury Prize 2020. It was the third time in his career he had been nominated following nominations for Home Again and Love & Hate but the first time he had won.

Accolades

Accolades for Kiwanuka
PublicationListRank
Afisha Daily (Russia) [17] The Best Foreign Albums of 2019
6
Albumism [18] The 50 Best Albums of 2019
6
AllMusic [19] Best of 2019—
American Songwriter [20] Top 25 Albums (and 25 More That We Loved) of 2019—
BBC Radio 6 Music [21] Albums of the Year 2019
3
Chicago Tribune [22] Best rock-pop-rap albums of 2019
4
Clash [23] Albums of the Year 2019
9
Double J [24] The 50 best albums of 2019
16
The Economist [25] The best albums of 2019—
Gigwise [26] 51 Best Albums of 2019
5
God Is in the TV [27] GIITTV Album of the Year Poll Results 2019
2
Good Morning America [28] 50 of the best albums of 2019
2
The Guardian [29] The 50 best albums of 2019
12
Houston Chronicle [30] Andrew Dansby's albums of 2019
6
The Independent [31] The 50 best albums of 2019
18
The Line of Best Fit [32] The Best Albums of 2019 Ranked
20
Mondo Sonoro (Spain) [33] The best international albums of 2019
7
musicOMH [34] Top 50 Albums Of 2019
4
The New York Times (Jon Pareles) [35] Top 50 Albums Of 2019
8
NME [36] The 50 best albums of 2019
8
No Ripcord [37] The 50 Best Albums of 2019
11
PopMatters [38] The 70 Best Albums of 2019
18
Under the Radar [39] Top 100 Albums of 2019
34

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Kiwanuka, Brian Burton, and Dean Josiah Cover.

Kiwanuka track listing
No.TitleLength
1."You Ain't the Problem"4:09
2."Rolling"2:51
3."I've Been Dazed"4:25
4."Piano Joint (This Kind of Love) (Intro)"2:18
5."Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)"3:51
6."Another Human Being"1:51
7."Living in Denial"3:31
8."Hero (Intro)"1:20
9."Hero"3:19
10."Hard to Say Goodbye"7:05
11."Final Days"4:10
12."Interlude (Loving the People)"2:42
13."Solid Ground"3:53
14."Light"5:48
Total length:51:13

Personnel

Credits adapted from digital and printed liner notes. [40]

Musicians

  • Natalia Bonner – violin (1, 3, 5, 9)
  • Zara Benyounes – violin (1, 5, 9, 13)
  • Sally Jackson, Patrick Kiernan, Steve Morris – violin (3, 5, 10, 11, 14)
  • Anna Croad – violin (3, 10)
  • Stephanie Cavey – violin (3)
  • Deborah Widdup – violin (5, 10, 11, 14)
  • Eleanor Mathieson – violin (5, 10)
  • Gillon Cameron, Helen Hathorn, Hayley Pomfrett, Kotono Sato, Ellie Stanford – violin (5, 11, 14)
  • Jenny Sacha – violin (10, 13)
  • Sarah Sexton – violin (10)
  • Nick Barr – viola (1, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14)
  • Bruce White – viola (3)
  • Fiona Leggat, Emma Owens – viola (5, 10, 11, 14)
  • Rosie Danvers – cello (1, 3, 8, 11, 14), string arrangements (1, 3, 5, 6, 8–11, 13, 14)
  • Bryony James – cello (5, 11, 14)
  • Richard Pryce – double bass (5, 11, 14)

Technical

Charts

Certifications

Kiwanuka sales certifications
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [66] Gold100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Kiwanuka – Michael Kiwanuka". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  2. 1 2 Bernstein, Jonathan (24 October 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka's Self-Titled Third Album is a Rich Psych-Soul Exploration". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Minsker, Evan (13 August 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka Announces New Album". Pitchfork . Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "And the winner of the #HyundaiMercuryPrize 2020 is... @michaelkiwanuka's #KIWANUKA". Twitter . 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Kot, Greg (1 November 2019). "Album review: Michael Kiwanuka is back bolder than ever with 'Kiwanuka'". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  8. ↑ McCormick, Neil (18 October 2019). "KIWANUKA, Michael Kiwanuka, review: a poignant interrogation of how much has changed since the civil rights era" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  9. 1 2 Simpson, Dave (1 November 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka review – one of the greatest albums of the decade". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Pollard, Alexandra (30 October 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka review: Defiant self-titled third album smudges the personal and political". The Independent . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  11. 1 2 Aubrey, Elizabeth (29 October 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka – 'KIWANUKA' review: brave experimentation and hard-won self-knowledge". NME . Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Soto, Alfred (1 November 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  13. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (December 2019). "Healing Powers". Q (405): 104.
  14. ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (1 November 2019). "Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka review — a restless soul finally finds himself" . The Times . Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  15. ↑ McCormick, Neil (18 October 2019). "KIWANUKA, Michael Kiwanuka, review: a poignant interrogation of how much has changed since the civil rights era" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ↑ Powers, Ann (17 December 2019). "The album is evolving". Slate . Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  17. ↑ Овчинников, Николай (26 December 2019). "Лучшие зарубежные альбомы 2019 года" [The Best Foreign Albums of 2019]. Afisha Daily . Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  18. ↑ "ALBUMISM SELECTS: The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Albumism. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "AllMusic Best of 2019". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Top 25 Albums (and 25 More That We Loved) of 2019". American Songwriter . 31 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "6 Music Recommends Albums of the Year 2019". BBC Radio 6 Music . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Kot, Greg (3 December 2019). "Best rock-pop-rap albums of 2019: Fierceness from Jamila Woods, blast furnace sounds from Sturgill Simpson". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Clash Albums of the Year 2019". Clash . 18 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2019". Double J . ABC. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  25. ↑ "The best albums of 2019". The Economist . 16 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2019". Gigwise . 20 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  27. ↑ Etheridge, Loz (17 December 2019). "GIITTV Album Of The Year Poll Results 2019". God Is in the TV . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  28. ↑ Raible, Allan (26 December 2019). "50 of the best albums of 2019". Good Morning America . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  29. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2019: the full list". The Guardian . 20 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  30. ↑ Dansby, Andrew (23 December 2019). "Andrew Dansby's albums of 2019". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  31. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2019 – from Tyler, the Creator's IGOR to Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising". The Independent . 20 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  32. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2019 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit . 20 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  33. ↑ "Los mejores discos internacionales de 2019" [The best international albums of 2019]. Mondo Sonoro . 3 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  34. ↑ Hubbard, Michael (21 December 2019). "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2019". musicOMH . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  35. ↑ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon (5 December 2019). "Best Albums of 2019". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  36. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2019". NME . 16 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  37. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". No Ripcord. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  38. ↑ "The 70 Best Albums of 2019". PopMatters . 9 December 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  39. ↑ Redfern, Mark (31 December 2019). "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019 (Part 1)". Under the Radar . Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  40. ↑ Image of first of two credit pages in CD booklet on Discogs.
  41. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  42. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  45. ↑ "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  46. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  47. ↑ "Kiwanuka Michael: Kiwanuka" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  48. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 45, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 13 November 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  49. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  50. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Michael Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  51. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 45 (dal 01.11.2019 al 07.11.2019)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  52. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  53. ↑ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 45, 2019". VG-lista . Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  54. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  55. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  56. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  57. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 45: del 01.11.2019 al 07.11.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  58. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  59. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  60. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  61. ↑ "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  62. ↑ "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  63. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  64. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  65. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  66. ↑ "British album certifications – Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 November 2020.
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