If you like: Ben Howard, Walk Off The Earth, Leon Bridges
Michael Kiwanuka is an English singer/songwriter and guitarist whose sound has been describes as “blues-folk” with ” a timeless soulful voice”, and has often been compared to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Terry Callier, and Van Morrison.
Though his heritage is Ugandan, he was born in Muswell Hill, London in 1987. His love of rock music was cultivated early on, listening to Radiohead and Nirvana, which led to him joining many cover bands while he studied jazz at Westminster University. If you listen to Kiwanuka’s music, you’ll notice his distinct stripped-back approach to songwriting; this was inspired by an outtake of Otis Redding’s “The Dock of the Bay”.
Kiwanuka’s music career began to progress forward after he played on the capital’s live circuit, where he was discovered by the Bees’ Paul Butler. After getting signed to Communion in 2011, he released two EPs. Below is a live session of the title track from the first of those Eps, Tell Me a Tale.
Here is the title track from the second of those EPs, I’m Getting Ready.
Kiwanuka released his debut single and album, both titled Home Again, just after winning the BBC Sound of 2012 poll. Below is the retro sounding track “Bones” from Home Again, and sounds like something that would fit in just right in the 1950s era.
After touring, Kiwanuka returned to the studio in 2015 to work on Love & Hate, produced with a little help from Danger Mouse (Is it just me or does Danger Mouse have his hand in every solid album lately? Everything the man touches turns to gold!)
Love & Hate isKiwanuka’s more experimental album, released in 2016, and in my opinion is his best work. Each track is “alive” and carefully crafted, evoking a strong feeling from the listener. Many of these you’ve probably heard on 106.3 Radio Lafayette, like “One More Night”, “Cold Little Heart”, and my favorite (the title track) “Love & Hate”. Check out the videos below… gosh I could listen to this album on repeat for hours… enjoy!
The video for “Love & Hate” features a slightly different version from the one you hear on the radio:
