Michael Kiwanuka
Small Changes
Polydor
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Five years on from his self-titled Mercury Prize-winning album KIWANUKA (2019), UK singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka returns with his fourth album Small Changes. As titles go, it is right on the money too. Returning on co-writing and production duties are Danger Mouse and Inflo and the string arrangements once more come courtesy of Rosie Danvers. All of which means that the feel of the album will be entirely familiar to anyone who heard Kiwanuka’s previous two albums.
The titular small changes come courtesy of Kiwanuka’s approach and mindset in tackling the album. In a brief interview with the BBC for The One Show, he said the album was a full circle moment as he returned to the roots of his debut album Home Again (2012). He talked about feeling like he had been trying to show his peers (and the public) the full range of his capabilities as a songwriter and performer and that he wanted to be a little more like his former self this time around.
This makes for a warm but somber atmosphere to the album. Though the strings and muscular rhythm section were present on his previous two albums, here it feels as though they’ve been turned down in intensity or reined in a little—the healthy dose of fire in his belly appears to have been replaced by a desire for a quieter life. Velvety and luxurious it may be, but it also feels muted and relatively safe, despite his lyrical candor and brittle openness.
In truth, it took a while for me to appreciate this album, whereas his previous two hit immediately with their expansive and soul-stirring musicality. This is less soul-stirring than soul-soothing and it took a frosty, early morning walk with this on my headphones to realize it needed to match my mood rather than grab me and shake me as the others had done.
Levity is in short supply as his solemn stories wend their way to the listener. There are love songs (“One and Only”), tales of regret (“Four Long Years”), and world-weariness (“Lowdown”), and they are blessed by some eye-opening guests that make clear how far Kiwanuka has travelled from Muswell Hill, North London.
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Lounging in the background on Hammond organ for a handful of tracks is Jimmy Jam and on one occasion Jam is joined by D’Angelo’s favorite bass player, Pino Palladino. Furthermore, James Gadson (who also featured alongside D’Angelo on “Sugah Daddy”) pops by to drum on “Follow Your Dreams,” which offers a welcome change of tack with Gadson’s more lively drums and some squirty synth sounds.
These guests never do anything other than dovetail delightfully with the impeccable production courtesy of Inflo and Danger Mouse. And it is definitely impeccable, but I prefer it when things get a little rougher around the edges—the breakout of some scuzzy guitar on “Stay By My Side” and the more driven drums on “Live For Your Love.”
Listening to this album feels like falling into the comfort of your bed after a long night of good food, carefree dancing and indulgence in a few too many vices. It envelops you in its velvety arms and comforts you with its charms. I just wish there was a little more of the good times on the album—one without the other never works for too long.
Notable Tracks: “Live For Your Love” | “Rebel Soul” | “The Rest of Me”
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