Fatherhood inspires Michael Kiwanuka’s soulful comeback (Image: Getty)
Michael Kiwanuka. Small Changes.
You might know him best from Cold Little Heart, the enchanting, Isaac Hayes reminiscent theme tune from the darkly comic TV series Big Little Lies.
But Michael Kiwanuka’s brand of fragile, folk-influenced acoustic soul has as much to do with the future as it does the past.
The modest Londoner’s stripped-back fourth album marries the warmth of 70s soul with the spirit of 90s indie rock on eleven idiosyncratic tracks. And he still sounds like Bill Withers.
Michael’s last release, 2020’s Kiwanuka, won the Mercury Prize. He’s opted for a subtler, more intimate vibe here.
The album title acknowledges how his life has transformed over the last four years after becoming a father.
He wrote the tender and sublime One And Only for his wife, Charlotte.
Michael opens with the orchestral soul of Floating Parade – “Count all your blessings, my mother said,” and reaches an early downbeat peak with the plaintive Lowdown (part i) which has the feel of the late Tim Buckley.
‘I’ve been losing my touch, I’ve fallen under, I’ve had enough,’ he confesses over strummed acoustic guitar. The downbeat lyrics are buoyed by bubbling bass and uplifting backing singers.
Lowdown (part ii) takes us in an unexpected Pink Floyd direction, as Michael plays a slow, emotive electric guitar solo with a distinct whiff of Dave Gilmour.
The gently hypnotic Rebel Soul is about hanging on to your individuality and not being engulfed by relationships.
‘Why should I be afraid for you to go? Take back what I stole?’ he asks.
Haunting ballad Four Long Years was inspired by Mazzy Star’s Fade Into You.
Produced by Danger Mouse and Inflo (Brian Burton and Dean Cover), Michael fashions his influences into something special.
His triumph at Glastonbury this Summer won’t be his last.
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