KIWANUKA

It was alright. I didn't skip any songs. I cannot recall a specific song though which makes it difficult to say whether I would listen to it again. It was just kind there and the dial did not move much one way or the other.

Album starts very strong, and then slows down into a more mellow sound. Hard to pin down exactly what it does, but it’s a mood, in a good way.

gostei

Easy listen

Different than stuff I would listen to. Enjoyed it as background music.

This was cool and something I had not heard of

Ok. Mix of 90s sound with R n B but overall seemed to miss the mark.

Interesting. Sort of introspective, strings, but considered rock. Almost in a U2 sort of way. Decent. 3.3

Pretty large to start out, then it drifts a bit poppy. Love the big band feel though, and the first three songs on the album are 5 stars!

Rock

This was okay. I liked it, but I didn't particularly pay too much attention to it.

This is definitely good and i understand why a lot of people i know dig this. I just do not dig it at all.

A pleasant retro sounding album. It passed me by without making me feel much.

Not bad.

Good

Pas trop aimé, pas mon style

Bon album de soul, se laissait vraiment écouter tout seul, même un peut trop : c'était un tantinet unidimensionnel comme musique, pas vraiment de surprise. Aucun mauvais passage, mais pas vraiment non plus qui se démarquait. 7/10

bom

Not in my edition of the book! 2019. 3 stars. Well done indie soul-rock, but lacking standout songs. Not sure it is essential listening.

Surprisingly good!

Favourites: • You Ain't the Problem • Final Days

Well this was lovely, with lush arrangements and an atmospheric, retro feel. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Fave Songs: Hard to Say Goodbye, Final Days, Living in Denial, Hero, I've Been Dazed, Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)

KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka is an album that offers a blend of soulful introspection and musical exploration. Released in 2019, it ventures into themes of self-discovery and societal reflections. Tracks like "You Ain't The Problem" and "Hero" showcase Kiwanuka's emotive vocals and thoughtful songwriting. The album's production is intricate, weaving folk, R&B, and rock influences. While the thematic depth is commendable, some tracks feel slightly repetitive and don't maintain the initial engagement. Despite its artistic merits, KIWANUKA's pacing and consistency fall a bit short for my taste. While it doesn't achieve the same cohesion throughout, it still captures Kiwanuka's growth as an artist, even though it might not consistently resonate as strongly as anticipated.

Nuuike

🧝🏻‍♂️

Nice but tiresome

He lives in Southampton?

Really good.

I had never heard of this album or artist before today, and wow I was missing out! I will definitely listen to this album again. It's the perfect blend of infectious beats and low-fi vibes.

3,5

this was a pleasant album to listen to. i had it on in the background while working and nothing particularly jumped out at me, though i did go back and listen to a few tracks again. favorites: you ain't the problem, solid ground

A soft groovy album with some nice music, pretty different, I enjoyed my time listening.

Decent. 3.5/5

Enjoyed alot

Pretty good stuff. Some songs I liked quite a bit and some kind of grated.

I enjoyed it

A strong and assertive album where Kiwanuka really finds his voice. I would say I kind of wrote this off when it first came out or maybe just missed it, but it’s actually very good. Definitely not a classic, and borderline whether I’d call it great, but still very good.

Nice voice, but I just feel like he doesn’t know what he wants to be? Not one for me I’m afraid.

симпатичненько

Man I really wanted to rate this guy higher, but he just wasn’t at the level of my other 4s. I was surprised to get such a recent album on here. His voice was impeccable and it isn’t the style I usually listen to so it was interesting. While there are no half stars I would like to give this album a 3.5/5 for the record

Well this was completely unexpected. I think I'll have to listen to his other stuff to know what I think about him, to be honest. But I rather enjoyed this.

A great voice with some really good tracks. A solid listen all the way through with a small handful of favorites

3.3 Not my usual cup of tea and not many stand out songs (more of a whole album unit) but I like how it's not bounded to any specific genre. Fave songs: Piano Joint, you ain't the problem

Some great songs, but not that consistent. Good singer anyhow.

I was really surprised by this album, thinking I was going to hate it based on the type of music I read it was. But I found it to be fairly enjoyable, although at little disjointed and, at times, a little long. I may have to revist this one.

Great vocals. The instrumentals and a few songs are a little boring. You Ain’t the Problem, Rolling, Piano Joint, Hero, and Final Days. 7/10

He no Frankiestein, He hero.

This album felt like a more classical Black Keys, it was decently enjoyable but it didn't grip me other than a couple songs. Hard to Say Goodbye is a fantastic song, plus Piano Joint is good too.

Not bad, couple songs I enjoyed. Rest wasn’t really my thing.

Pretty alright but still forgettable overall

It's nice but I'm not completely blown away by this

This is a solid album with some really nice tracks on it. I enjoyed it. Some cool videos, too, for a few of the songs. The animated one for "Light" is great.

A very dreamy album by Kiwanuka, taking the concept album to a different level, a more autobiographical healing piece. Michael has a smooth soulful voice that could probably heal anyone's pain. Wouldn't normally have this on my rotation, but an interesting addition to the album list. Best: Hard to Say Goodbye, Solid Ground Worst: Piano Joint (This Kind of Love) (Intro)

Nice soul record. Good production. Great voice.

Interesting. Somewhat eclectic. A lot of it sounded like soul to me.

A good album? Sure. Some enjoyable melodic and psychy guitar parts, and interesting blending of genres, but overall maybe not blown away by any particular section or the record as a whole. Decent songwriting and hard to rag on the record too hard but not anything I found to be that exceptional. Fave track: Rolling

Michael Kiwanuka is great but this is not his best music.

Not bad

OK

Reminiscent of Gorillaz and early 60s James Bond intros. Little too laid back and easy to tune out.

This was nice, indie and folky, sort of reminded me of Thom Yorke at points, though maybe it's just because they're both Brits. It was not challenging to listen to, but also not mind-blowing. Just nice.

very talented!

2019! That can only mean... they've updated the book again since I started using the generator :O I already reviewed this album on the Tunelighting podcast so I'll summarise here: - Classic, soulful feel & weighty topics, so can see why it's popular. Seems 'objectively' very good, but I probably respect it more than I enjoy it. - You Ain't The Problem and Hero are terrific. In fact, the more uptempo numbers in general are where this album shines. - Much like Michael's beloved Tottenham Hotspur, the quality is mainly up front. I found the final few tracks a bit lacking. 3.5

Mooi, maar niet zo interessant.

Mmmmmbop

Not my style, but certainly not bad music

A noughties soul update of the nineties dinner party vibes as practiced by Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps et al. And thus three stars. Goes well with garlic bread.

The atmosphere is upbeat and inviting.

El vaig començar amb ganes, sorprès que se'm passés per alt en el seu moment. Té moments molt interessants i una producció molt acurada, tot i que es fa una mica massa llarg durant la recta final.

I really like Michael Kiwanuka, but the album felt like it meandered along quite a bit

Different, there were definitely some bits I really enjoyed. Would check out some of his other stuff

Listened Before? N I've never heard of this guy. I sort of enjoyed it. Seemed kind of Ed-Sheeran-y in the beginning and then got very mellow for a long time. I wasn't a big fan of "Hero" but I can see the appeal. An okay listen. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: You Ain't the Problem

Chill but not very memorable

Me gustó, pero prefiero el disco anterior

I skim a lot of year-end music lists from all the publications looking for best-of clicks. I usually think about how I should make playlists of the songs and artists of the year to go check them out later. But then I don't usually take that step, and repeat the mistake a year later. Thankfully, the 1001 is filling in some of the gaps. Michael Kiwanuka is definitely a name I've seen on those lists, and always meant to check out his music. Now that I have, I'm not sure I get the hype. "KIWANUKA" is a solid album, but I wouldn't call it the instant classic that I have seen it referred to in the music media. Maybe I'll give it another spin or check out his other albums to see if I can figure out what I'm missing.

Fine but not memorable

Modern soul albums always sound better when the sound like they were recorded in the 1960s. I saw him a lifetime ago at Splendour (2012?) and he was good (second on the second stage IIRC) but never followed up by actually listening to the album.

Really good stuff!

Pleasant. But not memorable.

Thoroughly enjoyed the jazzy modern soul vibes.

solid, pretty new for the list.

P good

Pretty nice album from 2019

This was a nice surprise.

I like the music.

Da e heilt ok

I think this falls into the "artful but not really my thing" category. Might give it another listen at some point.

This album started out with a bombastic, eclectic sound that was pretty unique. I kept thinking there was something familiar about the elements and wasn't surprised to read it was produced by DJ Dangermouse. Once I knew that, it was obvious his fingerprints were all over this thing. Unfortunately, I felt like the album ended with a whimper. I was bored and everything sounded similar in the second half.

Enjoyed it. Smooth and easy to listen to.

Very smooth soul... a great voice and vibe that occasionally reminded me of Seal... but maybe not as pop-ish. All very listenable tunes, though only a few (Final Days, Solid Ground) stood out for me.

notes - groovy indie rock album, psychedelic elements - produced by danger mouse - big fan of a lot of the production choices on here - especially the way that backing vocals are handled - lyrical themes of violence, race, self reflection - some of the lyrics on here are really good, but he often goes for the most obvious rhymes and choices - friend, end, see, me etc - the simplicity works in some moments but in others it breaks the mystique of the songs - The last 4/5 songs on here are great! Fav - Final days - The drums and vocals on this are so good least fav - hero - compelling lyrical content but the music didnt do anything for me 3/5

Fucking GREAT album holy shit. This album made me so happy to just experience.

I’m not sure what I think about this one. Trying to cram in a lot of styles. Not bad but doesn’t win me over either

Really difficult to rate this one. Some tracks are good to amazing, some things really don't stick for me. All in all an okay album with a great singer

It's better when using guitar for the hooks (such as in Hero/Interlude Loving The People), rather than backing vocals (such as Living In Denial/You Ain't The Problem, which sound like backing tracks from Austin Powers). As a whole album, lots of interesting styles and influences, I like when it gets a bit ambient and trippy, and your man has a great voice ... but some of it I found a bit irritating.

It’s like a more soulful, less funky Black Pumas. Definitely good, but wouldn’t say anything deeply caught my attention. It was mostly in the background of the day. Didn’t listen super consciously.

Neat! Easy listening, without being "easy listening". Jazzy with an afrobeat appeal. Watching the live show that came on next, this guy is quite a performer and guitarist.

3.5

Cool enough album. Didn't really have any standout hits. At least it wasn't totally expected. 3/5.

It was off to a good start and then I zoned out. Nothing really peaked my interest until suddenly Fontaines D.C started playing and I realised the album must have ended and I didn't even notice. That's not to say the album is bad or that it only works as forgettable background music. It's more likely to be true that my ears pricked at the music that's familiar to me, like a greeting from someone I know and I'm excited to see, rather than meeting a friend of a friend for the first time, someone you may well get along with in time but don't have the focus or interest for right now.

It starts off with sounds of South African riffing. It then gets a little like Paul Weller's "My Ever Changing Moods" (which isn't a compliment). The horns give it a bit of an irritating flowing 60s sound but when they take out the guitars and put the dam horns away, they sound quite good. "Hero" and "You Ain't the Problem"  are good examples.  The background vocals on songs like Light sound like hymns you might hear on Sunday morning religious programming. There is a live version of him singing Light (at the Mildmay Club) that has none of the Pray TV style of background vocals. It exposes this song for what it is - an excellent  song sung by a man with a wonderful voice. Too bad this is hidden under the overproduced studio version.

Överraskande bra. La till två låtar på mitt Spotify.

A nice mix of organic pop and indie sounds. Also suprised to learn that Danger Mouse produced this… strong 3

Helt ok men lite för städigt+vad gör det på listan...

Nice album, but wouldn't really call it rock. Flows nicely without any real highs or lows. 3/5

Psychedelic soul, 2019. This is nothing more than a nice album with some interesting songs and a few fillers. This is a record which is not memorable, but on the other hand it is also really far to be an uninspired project, infact some tracks work quite well, e.g. "Solid Ground" or "Piano Joint".

Absolutely okay - completely unnoteworthy upon first listen, the kind of music which musicians/music students fawn over because it doesn’t actually say a great deal with its complex chord changes. Not for me but I can appreciate the production on it without question.

Pretty good. I really liked some of it.

Really nice voice. The songs were good but nothing really jumped out.

Pretty good - some nice rhythms.

i liked it because it was something i’ve never really heard before. it wasn’t completely up my alley, not for any particular reason but just not completely my vibe but i did enjoy it.

Pop con algún toque electrónico y reminiscencia de los '70. Fácil de escuchar, pero no llamativo

Decent enough album.

Mad decent, nothing super spectacular

Just nice

Great album, I’ll listen to it again I’m sure.

Mellow. Found myself liking it though.

Didn't really connect with this album, but it did have a few good songs.

Enjoyed listening to him. Not quite 4*, just 3

Nice album but kind of boring. More artistic than anything. 6/10

Enjoyed some of Michael’s collections The easy listening I favored

This might be the most recent album so far, but in 2019 I had no idea about this one. Must have flown under the radar but I don’t think I would have put it in my top albums back then anyway. In the most curious of terms, I’m not sure why this album is on this list, I’d love to know why, I don’t think it won any awards but it seems like a basic RnB album. Felt a bit like 70’s too.

Not as I expected - but not my go to sound

It’s quality for a modern indie rock album. Had good vibes. I definitely would recommend it to someone who likes low energy indie rock. Last song was great. But I was pretty bored for a lot of it. The first song really made me cringe when he started singing.

soulful. good?

Not bad…..

Lots of faffing about but otherwise v good

I hadn’t heard of this before it showed up on the list. I like it. It’s like a soul version of the Black Keys. Given Danger Mouse’s involvement, I’m not surprised. There are elements of Funkadelic and Curtis Mayfield. I would listen again.

Enjoyed this album more than expected. Haven’t listened to him before but knew of songs from his other albums. I thought this album was really good as a whole. It has a lot of musical elements involved, and kiwanuka has a pretty solid singing style and voice. 7.5/10

Voice is great, music not so great.

Pretty good. Expected better.

Fine background music

Pakko tunnustaa, että olin aika skeptinen levyn suhteen kun tuli esiin nimi ja kansikuva. Yllätti siinä mielessä positiivisesti vaikkakin ei nyt kuitenkaan jää pyörimään soittoon.

Ça commence fort et ça fini fort. Le milieu est vide et sans intérêt.

Belle découverte ici. Une belle voix. En plus, la production est superbe. J’aime beaucoup ce que Danger Mouse fait dans ses collaborations. Pièce préférée: Piano joint

Keywords: Chill, affirmative, unique Fav Songs: You ain't the problem, Rolling, Hero Somewhat "experimental" at first, some calm basic music at the end Feels like it should be listened in one sitting

1st track-I like a lot

Solid 3, vocals very nice

Newver heard of this guy, but enjoyed this. I will listen to more of his.

Good solid album. I had never heard of Kiwanuka before and his sound is a refreshing change from the usual. Curious to hear more.

Why don't you microwave a little bowl of this and serve it to someone who cares?

Not bad, vocals had no change in cadence or urgency. Chill, but didn’t grab me

A strong cohesive album with a 70s feel. Accomplished and sounds good. I'm not sure if I'd award it 4, but certainly a high 3.

Though I like the general sound of this, after listening to it several times nothing really stuck out to me.

Kiwanuka by Michael Kiwanuka (2019) There’s a nice feel to this relatively recent pop production, which is flavored with folk, jazz, and R&B—with many throwback strains that lead the listener back to the 1960s (which is not, in my view, a bad place to be). For those people who think that all the good music was done before 1990, and that all current music is junk, give this album a listen. It’s one of the few albums for which the word “kindness” can be applied without mawkishness. The listener just sort of wants to become friends with this singer/songwriter. Maybe it’s the smiling sense of humility. Maybe I’ve just listened to too much hip hop, thrash metal, and punk lately. The themes are personal, yet not excessively deep or self-absorbed. But this first person focus is clothed in extraordinarily collaborative musical arrangements, with dozens of contributing vocalists and instrumentalists. It’s rich, despite its lyrical simplicity. Kiwanuka’s voice is strong and masculine, giving us convincing affection (“Piano Joint”, “Hero”, “Hard to Say Goodbye”) but nevertheless a sometimes endearing timidity and self-doubt (“Final Days”, “Solid Ground”). The cover art is completely inapt. Some of the production choices are quite distracting, like the ‘noise’ in the background of “Hard to Say Goodbye” from 4:30 to 6:00, but with effort, the serious listener can get through. It’s a nice slice of the cultural pie. 3/5

Perhaps faded to elevator music, with wonderful textures. The same could be said for Radiohead though, so worth a relisten!

The first half of Piano Joint reminds me a lot of Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, there's a beauty in the simplicity of the music combined with the raw emotion of the singing voice. Overall it sounded like café music to me.

Wasn't really for me, it was different and reminds me of a new wave soul artist capturing elements of older style southern American music. He's talented, it's just not my sort of thing.

Very mellow and easy to listen to but would not on a regular basis.

Solid, but unspectacular. He can really sing, but all felt a bit restrained for me. You ain't the problem is far and away my favourite track

Ekat kaks biisiä oli kunnon bängereitä, hyvää positiivista energiaa ja tarttuvia hookkeja, just sitä mistä mä tykkään. Sen jälkeen vähän liian hidasta mun makuun, mutta kokonaisuutena hyvää settiä.

Tää on kyl kivaa ja miellyttävää. Monet melodiat makuuni ja tasalaatuisuudesta plussaa.

Hyvän kuuloinen. Aion kuunnella uudestaan jossain kohtaa, sillon vois ehkä noustakin.

Great songs sung interestingly.

High 3

3/5 1.Groovy, enjoy the samples good chorus. 2.good chorus dislike overall- I actuallly hate this song 3.ight 4&5.GOOD SONG EYS 6.funny sample, cool skit into 7 7.GOOD SONG yes i very much enjoy the samples this mans uses, its a very refreshing take on folk?!? 7&8 MID 9.Thumbs up! any sample from this guy wins i love the ppl going la la alalalal 10.UH decent skit 11. idr 12.MID

Ottima da sottofondo mentre si fa qualcosa d'altro. In 'Piano Joint' si esprime al massimo sia la voce, sia la sonorità dell'album. Un mix di generi, molto orecchiabile, ma senza particolari che risaltano. Comunque un piacevole ascolto, tra il 3 e il 4.

3/5 didn't make the cut

Was feelin it on I5 then realized these are the exact same chord progressions and vocal melodies as his earlier Big Little Lies album, which was very very solid. Unfortunately every one of us has a finite amount we can say artistically and Michael may have topped out with soundtracking Nicole Kidman in Big Sur. But maybe not. The songs may be similar, but there's an added patience that hints at something better. I think the next one could be more interesting. Peace. B-

Good. Need to listen to it again.

Ganz cool!

The first track hooked me, had to go back to it a few times. Saved to library. The second track was great too. Mostly enjoyed the album, but did get a bit bored by the end. The first two tracks set me up for success and I wanted more of that throughout.

Very nice to hear a new unknown to me artist. Decent.

Nice chill jazz, soul kind of things. But the instrumentals sometimes seemed very mixed and made listening a bit tiring trying to figure out what the "noises" were which I was listening to. Apart from that, neat music.

Not bad. I liked Hero, Final Days, and Solid Ground. The rest of it sounded like it should be the soundtrack to Jackie Brown.

Erstaunlich vielseitig, der junge Mann. Mit einem Tah Abstand aber auch: erstaunlich wenig hängen geblieben bei mir. Angenehm, stellenweise auch auf jeden Fall interessant. Aber nicht weltbewegend. Bei mir gibt’s für sowas ne 3. Immer schön den goldenen Mittelweg, wie von Oma gepredigt.

Solid, but unspectacular. He can really sing, but all felt a bit restrained for me.

Nice voice but overall the songs are a bit too mellow, quiet for my liking and too monotonous

красиво, но не прям мое

Psychedelic Soul Favorite tracks: You Ain't the Problem Another Human Being Living in Denial Definitely an album I haven't fully grasped yet. His voice reminds me of Marvin Gaye. Instrumentals are pretty strong and gives space for Michael to work around. Drums are a highlight of the album.

Quite artsy and calm slow lo fi music great voice i doubt its so great to be here though

This music is by no means bad, but it left no mark on me whatsoever. It had semi-interesting moments; but I felt the songwriting was largely milquetoast. It draws inspiration from really interesting places and the musicianship is really quite good - I can really tell this album brought a lot of talent together in the studio; but the impact this album left on me was minimal to say the least, and the general rock/soul presentation felt very much like already-trodden territory. I respect the musicianship and the instrumentation, but I found Michael’s vocal delivery and songwriting to be quite emotionally unimpactful, boring and lacking in dynamics. On that basis, I can’t give it more than a 2.5. It wasn’t without its meritable moments, but it wasn’t for me unfortunately. ❤️

I didn’t like this. I was very bored :( Bonus star for cool drums and percussion and Living in Denial.

What is this? I mean it’s not bad but I just could not get a good read on this album. 2/5

Me recordó Atlanta…será por que la estoy viendo? Pero de hueva.

Bueno, siempre nos quedará Cold Little Heart

Pleasant enough.

Feels like I'm listening to a 70s movie soundtrack

Mildly interesting but the throwback sound on a lot of these tracks will make you wish you were listening to the real thing.

Kinda sounds like a more boring version of the black keys if that’s even possible

boring

eh.

Something about this isn't quite landing with me. I don't hate it, but I also don't like it. It just sort of bores me.

Seems like the type of music I’d like alla Leon bridges but just bored me

Just really wasn’t my jam.

Iniquitous

Ihan ok

surprised this was a 2019 album. feels more like early 80's soul. not really my thing, don't take enough drugs any more.

Some of the tracks were discordant to me - Hard to Say Goodbye being one of them. Didn't really like this

Another of the “we need to put something new - what’s popular just now” albums.

Not really my thing

сара 2 марко 3

Ok album, ništa posebno. 2/5, 3/10

“Hard to say goodbye” best one yet. Beautiful melodies. Must listen it twice

This was a very hard two to give sometimes music can make me almost come to tears, and sometimes gives me nothing at all zero emotional reaction. This is one of those albums. I don’t know why some albums or some music will get me emotional and some do not very strange. This album did not however, I do respect the quality of the album the musician ship it’s top notch, but I did not enjoy it.

Maybe not my vibe today but completely forgettable. Was kinda anxious for it to finish so I could move on.

I hated this album the first time I heard it. It's certainly much better than I gave it credit for then but it's not for me.

Booring beering barring borming I fink

High 2

Mir fällt nix ein was ich schreiben könnte. Das Album zeichnet sich durch nichts aus.

This is the music that black man is playing when you get picked up hitch hiking.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

somewhat sterile in a Mercury Prize sort of way (lol). but undeniably very well produced and engineered. maybe a bit too pristine for me to really have a visceral reaction to it.

Dnf

Didn’t do it for me but I liked the sound overall.

His music has a lot of views. It is personally not my type of genre that I listen to, but it was not horrible music. I could listen to it as background music.

Bit too slow for my taste.

I have nothing to say about this album. I just don't think it was for me.

don't get

I was going to make some quip about this guy for this review, but I don't know anything about him or his music, so I've got nothing

Leans a bit too chill for me but overall fine for something to have on while doing things. Got way too samey as it went on, kind of forgot it was even playing.

Great lyrical themes, but this is a heavily front-loaded album that really drags in the second half. It also feels like all of the artist's attention went to the pervasive production rather than the music, which is half-hearted and derivative. As for the aforementioned production, it's overdone and grating. I know all the fuzz was intentional, but it's just annoying and further detracts from the album. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

A new artist for me but music that was just okay. Its not that I dislike it, more that it doesn't have anything that would make me want to seek it out or add it to any playlists. Songs that I might hear on the radio and think nothing of.

This started well, then dropped quickly into tedium. It's frustrating, it's almost good, but stops just short like it's doing it on purpose, refusing to shine.

Not for me. Like him as a musician and a person, but find his albums derivative and too bland for my own taste.

meh

🥇hero 🥈final days 🥉living in denial HM: rolling, i’ve been dazed

Not for me

not my jam

I did not find this very compelling at all. A few interesting little tiddlywinks but overall this one just kinda washed over me.

not my favorite

It seems like I should like the album but it does feel like background soul music. It's not really super smooth, but it also doesn't have the bite of funk, or the pain of blues.

Kiwanuka? I hardly know her. This was perfectly nice. It would take an awful curmudgeon to take strongly against it. 2.5 I have never heard of Michael Kiwanuka before. That’s what I get for not caring who’s been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for the last twenty years. You can see why Mr Kiwanuka has been nominated multiple times (winning for this). The arrangements are neat and the use of backing vocals and strings is very well judged - tasteful. Retro reverb filters on everything that will take them. Nice drums and bass. Nice singing. Nice extended chords. This album has as nicely dressed a window as your granny could have managed with all the lace in the shop and her pick of the roses. Sadly though, once you are in the house it’s beige wallpaper from bottom to top. Ah Granny. Kiwanuka’s shapeless lyrics about nothing much are best ignored altogether but unfortunately, not having taken the recommended amount of alcohol beforehand (‘As a Mercury Music Prize panel member’) I made the mistake of listening to them, then reading them. The melodies are sweet nothing. The hooks efficient but immediately forgettable. Kiwanuka isn’t untalented, but he has nothing to say. Anyway he has a Mercury Music Prize now, which tends to be the main thing for most Mercury Music Prize winners. 1.5/5

It was ok. I wanted to like it more.

Jazz bar

Not bad but felt a little boring and derivative to me. Like Roots and Dangermouse

World music? Kinda jazz? Seemed like a good recording. Just not my thing.

This was a mighty fine bore

Got half way through and felixed it. Great first track but not my thing

Snork. Første er god, dermed ikke 1 brunstjerne til denne.

2 stars It wasn’t bad. But I can’t say it really held my attention. It would fit in as the score for a quirky indie comedy in the 2010s. But the kind that you wouldn’t remember the name of a would never pick when it comes up on Netflix.

Started off great. You Ain’t the Problem sounded unique and the production had an interesting sound. But after that, it started to become really, really dull and boring — a chore to finish.

Fine musician. Sounded like Seal to me. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing screaming special either.

Too slow for me personally, though it does sound very atmospheric. I liked the vocals a lot, the instrumental is decent too. Other than that, boring. I'd give it 2/5

i didnt really like it. was a classy sound but not to my taste, really slow and dirgey

I wanted to rate this higher, but there is just so much fat that needs to be trimmed. One song has about 17 seconds of silence as an intro. Other than that, it's pretty mid. Influence 2. Hits 1. Quality 3. Super meh 2.

You Ain't the Problem

Didn’t enjoy this really. found it boring and sounded repetitive to me.

Ei ehkä oikein iskenyt. En jaksanut kuunnella loppuun. 2/5.

This is #day393 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… as expected, I don't get the hype. When I worked at a local record store five years ago, my then-manager showed me this album along with a Kamasi Washington record, saying something like, "these are modern classics," or whatever. To which I was like, well, okay, you know... Honestly, I probably wouldn't have listened to this one if it weren't for the challenge. I had to turn it off halfway through, I just couldn't. This is a low 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day394.

I liked the vibe nice jazzy chill my kinda vibe. Not many above average songs tho but ok

not his best

Bit of a snooze

Meh

Mostly fine. Kinda faded into the background a little bit.

chiller and more rnb ish vibe than i usually listen to but enjoyable. really liked piano joint! was good to have on while journaling:)

Not at all what I expected off a “soul” album or at least thats what apple music says. Has a couple noteable songs the opener, rollin and hard to say goodbye were some of my favorites. But overall it felt dynamically to wacky, as it was drifting in and out of multiple genres and tones. I especially didnt like this since Michael Kiwanuka has a beautiful voice and I really just wanted to hear him sing. I wanted more smooth intense feels but was left with more deadspace. Overall I didnt hate it was just expecting more.

Looks like this album received a great deal of critical acclaim back in 2019. Of course, we know that critical acclaim and award nominations are utterly meaningless when it comes to how an album will be remembered in the future. This album is "safe", but hardly essential. I couldn't find anything thrilling about it and would place it on a map not in the middle of the road, but the middle of the cul-de-sac. Far better contemporary albums that could be considered "must-listen"s would be Kamasi Washington's Jazz-Pop wonder, "Heaven and Earth" or Mac DeMarco's eclectic Soul gem, "Here Comes the Cowboy."

Not my cup of tea.

cool but probably would listen to again a little radio-ish

The overall listening experience falters as tracks begin to blur into one another. Despite its artistry and polish, the album’s pacing and recurring musical motifs make it feel repetitive by the halfway mark. While undeniably stylish and heartfelt, Kiwanuka lacks the dynamism to sustain its impact. A beautiful voice in a beautifully crafted setting—but one that could use a little more variety.

I was expecting another African world music album. That's not what this is. It has, in several places, a sort of seventies blaxploitation feel, on the whole for what it is it's OK. Can't see myself buying it or even playing it again. Not quite worth a 3 though, so just a 2.

A bit too deep for me

meh 2/5

is ok, not really my vibe i think it's chill haha, just not what i look for in music i think, or at least today LOL

It was fine, didn't get much out of it. He's great at the pace/transition of the album Rating: 2.4

The music surprised me.

..

Pretty, soulful and light. Not sure if it’s for me though.

I didn't mind the first song, it reminded me of the ok parts of Red Hot Chilli Pepper songs, but after that I lt didn't hold my interest, I can see how it's enjoyable but it's not for me.

No sure why this getting such good rating, there are some good tracks but its mostly meh for me.

Some good tunes but not top of my list

You Ain't the Problem

This was boring.

Heard it before. It's quite alright but lacks something special that'd make me appreciate it more 2/5

I didn't care for this. I couldnt get past the first song.

Not bad, a bit psychedelic, but full of strings and horns. Not my style. Even more, it is sometimes disturbing (see Hero). But it may be my mood right now.

BORING!

Pixie looks like he enjoys the first song! Me and Nata chicken are high enjoying icecream vanilla\! And we watched the Minecraft Movie today 2025, it was a really fun chaotic time, the children yearn for the mines!!!

Nice voice, kinda boring.

I don't like this album because I don't like the genre of music it is and I also don't like the beat the melody is. I would not recommend this album to someone else because I don't think they would like this type of rockish music.I give it 2 stars out of 5.

the song started off strong ig because it had like a good beat and the background music but when he started singing it was uh buns but everything else was good. the second song started off good because the beat is good the voice sounded better in this song the lyrics are something they're not really good tbh

Cracking little soul album this.

No aplico a la legión de fans que profesan sus acordes

While not a bad album, not sure what makes this “special”

Not his best work

Nahh

I liked most of the melodies and instrumentation but didn’t like the dudes voice or how he sings.

I didn’t like this much at all.

Saved one song. Not a bad listen.

Boring

An amalgam of Little Simz-esque production, with just some regular vocals. Few engaging tracks, but was just bored. Tracks became stale, needed more flair. Favourite tracks: Piano Joint (This Kind of Love), Hero, Hard To Say Goodbye,

gets a bit of play on radio 6 so familiar with the name and a couple of tracks, solid enough but only one song i really connected with.

Ikke lige min type m usik så kommer nok ikke til at lytte til det igen. Men det var 100% en spændene og anderledes oplevelse

Atmospheric but felt that nothing jumped out at me as what makes this a top album.

Really didn’t do it for me, just sounded kinda below average overa

Not sure whose ears aren't working right, but I'm not hearing anything to justify it being added to the 1001 albums list. Then again, given how much I've already heard so far from the list that's average at best, maybe it fits perfectly in there. The musical compositions are good, but not exceptional. There's nothing in the songs that other artists haven't done & better. His vocals are okay, but I'm not feeling any emotions coming across from his delivery. It reminds me of that line from Rob Gordon in High Fidelity, where he says, "I just want something I can ignore." This album would be ideal if that's all you want.

Apparently Michael supported Adele, and I can totally see that. It’s okay but not really my sort of thing.

He's clearly got a lovely voice, and this is very well produced and executed, but overall it's so background that it very nearly put me to sleep... Considering I was on the A1 at the time, that's not a good thing!

2019???? What in the sweet hell are you talking about? 6.4 million monthly listeners. Jesus Christ. Uhhh. Well I have no earthly idea what this is. Let’s give it a whirl. Interesting opening. Fluttery piano. Vocals are loud and a little blah, but nothing terrible. Percussion and glitchy instrumentation is alright. I’m not a “La La La” man, so that can go. This was ok. I like the guitar on track 2. The chorus is decent. The background interjections are pretty good. I like this one. Not for me bud. This sounds like the boring part of “Feel like Makin’ Love” has been slowed down to be played on vinyl in $3500 a month apartments in walkable, trendsetting neighbourhoods with multiple DIY pinball arcades. Pass. Cool minor piano keys. Return to form. Interesting soundscapes all over this track. Pitch shifted vocals work pretty well with the overall vibe. At least I think their pitch shifted. Jesus. This could be the reanimated Barry White, popping in for a post-mortem feature. That was just an intro. Now the real track. Piano joint. That could mean a piano song or a piano bar. I don’t love his singing, honestly. Something missing there. Boring rhyme scheme. The music is excellent though. Cool jazz with odd sounds. I wish the vocals would disappear. Ambient track with samples of quotes. I like it. No vocals means I’m happy. Jeeeez the vocals. Gets too FAHHHH. Bad news. All around forgettable and grating. “Hero” was ok. That’s all. This song will be very easy to say goodbye to. Never come back. Although Spotify DJ will play this one forever, because Spotify users don’t experiment. They only listen to songs they enjoy and I pay the price. No singing!! So far. That’s good. More of the cool soundscapes. Oh there it is. Terrible. The website broke so you miss out on my incisive commentary for the last few tracks. Well. Listen. This album had some incredible moments. Some of the lush, modern soundscapes were excellent. The vocals and feel were not for me. I thought some songs droned on too long and I could’ve used more variety in the vocal delivery or tone. Decent, but too grating to be called good. 2-2.5 HIGHLIGHTS: Rolling, Another Human Being,

Funky

Always ranking things relatively on here so don't pay this too much mind, this is pretty, but didn't do very much for me today tbh

209/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

I thought this record was interesting. Nothing I'd normally listen to, but there are elements about it I like. I thought the the rhythm section was really strong and I enjoyed his vocals throughout the record. However, with some filler songs and some weaker songs, I think I'd have to give this album a 2/5 but I did enjoy my time with it.

Surprised to see such a recent album on this website. Did this actually make it into any of the books? I enjoy these midsummery, daydreamy kinds of albums, though none of the genres featured on this one resonate with me all that much. The experience of listening to this was much snoozier than I would have preferred, though it may be possible for me to come around to it on my mandatory relisten

This is a true critics' album. I don't know a single person who listens to this nor do I ever see it being discussed in online music communities, or in the mainstream really. The kind of album you only hear about when the year-end list season comes around.

Really laid back, but good.

This was ok. Didn't really like it though.

Not my cup of tea

not bad not good either imo not keen on slow songs few good songs in there tho