Album Review: Michael Kiwanuka – Small Changes
3 min read
Muswell Hill’s own Michael Kiwanuka is back from the musical wilderness to release his fourth studio album, Small Changes through Polydor Records, and I, for one, am thrilled. The London born singer-songwriter won the Mercury prize for Kiwanuka in 2020, but there has been scant else since. Known for his style which has seen him compared stylistically to greats such as Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye, Small Changes is the third of a trilogy of albums working with Dean Cover (A.K.A Inflo) and Brian Burton (A.K.A Danger Mouse), Small Changes is an acknowledgement of growing up, and not spending the time in and around those guys as life draws on your time away from the studio.
Floating Parade is possibly the coolest opening track I’ve heard ever, but definitely the coolest opening track I can recall. With just a hint of Zero7 Warm Sound about it, the distortions and soulful voice really hit a musical sweet spot for me, and the distorted groove continues through to The Rest Of Me which has some real Bill Withers vibes to it. Title track Small Changes which slows it down in a timely track, with a quasi-remorseful tone, and the down tempo soul continues in a less sombre footing with One And Only, which builds from start to end. The first half of the album is rounded off with Rebel Soul which feels like an amalgamation of the styles of the previous tracks… and it works! Down tempo with the distorted organ chords, a definite return to feeling like some of the best male vocal tracks Zero7 produced.
Kiwanuka has previously acknowledged influences of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and these influences are clear in Lowdown (part i) and Lowdown (part ii) (and maybe a little Eric Clapton), both tracks being a down tempo guitar-based tracks of the highest quality, where the melodic riffs, groovy drums and harmonious instrumentation takes centre stage. Up next, Follow Your Dreams is a laid back masterpiece – down tempo, great bassline and pitch changes throughout (maybe my favourite track on the album, but it’s hard to pick a favourite), and follow up track Live For Your Love is a short track that hits all the good frequencies. Penultimate track Stay By My Side has a great set up with the electric guitar picking in the background weaving through the tune, whilst Kiwanuka rounds off his latest offering with Four Long Years, which almost feels like a reincarnated AL Green has put this track together – another fantastic addition to a fantastic album.
I loved Small Changes, it’s the fifth album I’ve added in its entirety to my library in the 18 months or so I’ve been doing reviews. For me, the up tempo tracks remind me of the best that Zero7 produced, but there is such a breadth of styles contained within this album, all of which are executed to perfection. I implore anyone who sees this review to give this album a start-to-finish listen, and – even if this style of music isn’t for you (takes all sorts to make the world go round, after all) – I defy anyone to (at the very least) admire the craftsmanship in the construction of this album.
