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10.0
114380
10.0 |
Q
However bad things get, Kiwanuka wants you to feel better. Print edition only
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10.0
114476
10.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
This is an exceptionally compelling, absorbing, rich, and genuinely human piece of work
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10.0
114529
10.0 |
NME
Looking ahead even as he evokes the work of greats as such as Bill Withers and Gil Scott-Heron, Michael Kiwanuka's bravura self-titled record sees him fiercely reclaim his identity
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10.0
114569
10.0 |
The Guardian
The soulful singer’s third LP is timeless and contemporary at the same time, with shades of everything from What’s Going On to Screamadelica
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10.0
114574
10.0 |
Evening Standard
Retro, raucous, and very special indeed
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9.0
114381
9.0 |
Uncut
Kiwanuka is loaded with memorable songs, but the best way to experience them is by listening to the album from start to finish
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9.0
114392
9.0 |
Exclaim
It's honest, psychedelic, enlightening and recalls blackness defined by acoustic folk and the organic soul of past artists like Gil Scott-Heron, Bobby Womack and Otis Redding
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9.0
114426
9.0 |
Gigwise
Blending the personal, political, and pure to dazzling effect
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9.0
114659
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
You will be inspired by his respectful, authentic and memorable nod to his old soul idols (from Gil Scott-Heron to Bobby Womack) but most importantly you are likely to be inspired to follow his new found courage on self-belief
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9.0
114671
9.0 |
music OMH
KIWANUKA doesn’t waste a single one of its 51 minutes, and seems destined to receive the same sort of acclaim as its predecessor
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9.0
114750
9.0 |
Clash
Michael Kiwanuka has undoubtedly created a timeless album, one made with impressive confidence
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9.0
114794
9.0 |
The Quietus
It’s very easy for a reviewer to play armchair warrior and forward claims for all sorts of nonsense for music they like. But this is a glorious, heart-stopping, essential album. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by it
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8.5
114768
8.5 |
Paste Magazine
It’s a testament to perseverance, determination and a vivid creative imagination from an artist who seems to have finally found himself, and that’s profound enough
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8.0
114795
8.0 |
PopMatters
Soulful British folk rocker Michael Kiwanuka brings listeners along for an evocative sonic journey on his new album, Kiwanuku
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8.0
114667
8.0 |
All Music
As fine as Love & Hate was - worthy of all its accolades - Kiwanuka stands head and shoulders above it as a complex, communicative, poetic, and sometimes even profound collection that wears its heart on its sleeve and its sophistication in its grooves
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8.0
114423
8.0 |
The Irish Times
It’s fitting that this collection is eponymously titled; with these songs Kiwanuka self-assuredly shrugs off the myriad comparisons, embraces his style and completely owns it
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8.0
114382
8.0 |
American Songwriter
This isn’t as immediately powerful or riveting as Love & Hate. But the multifaceted material, along with the pioneering, organic and often offbeat production, grows on you. Listening closely with headphones heightens and intensifies the experience
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8.0
114383
8.0 |
Mojo
An album that's thoughtful, emotional, expertly crafted and often sublime. Print edition only
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8.0
114388
8.0 |
The Arts Desk
Featuring harps and children’s choirs, Kiwanuka could have gone off the rails, but it has the songs and the focused intent to convince
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8.0
114578
8.0 |
The FT
The Afrobeat theme disappears, but chunky bass and unprocessed guitars have the gritty sound of classic rock ‘n’ soul
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8.0
114532
8.0 |
The Independent
Defiant self-titled third album smudges the personal and political
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8.0
114484
8.0 |
The Music
Kiwanuka makes old school soul music for modern audiences and has once again crafted a personal album oozing with '60s rock and soul
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7.5
114561
7.5 |
Pitchfork
Feels like an easy listen at first, but eventually reveals its mournful and even despairing heart
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7.5
114715
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Even for fans of his debut, the soft-spoken, acoustic Home Again, Kiwinuka's latest features some of the DNA of that record as well—albeit in light of his new-found electric, sharper side
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7.5
114773
7.5 |
Spectrum Culture
What it lacks in immediacy, Kiwanuka more than makes up for in sheer declarative artistry
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7.0
114403
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
At his best, Kiwanuka foregrounds the dizzying breadth of his influences, refusing, at all costs, to play for cheap soul thrills
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6.0
114580
6.0 |
The Observer
The only downside is that Kiwanuka could have been even braver
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