It's rather surprising that, five years on from the Mercury Prize-winning
Kiwanuka -- his third straight Top Five, gold-certified album --
Michael Kiwanuka returned with his least venturesome work since his cautious debut.
Small Changes is an exceptionally refined collection of soulful folk-rock ballads. Returning collaborators
Inflo and
Danger Mouse continue to bring in strings, background voices, and other distinguishing layers, such as
Inflo's expressive synthesizer and, in a three-song stretch, the pleasantly surprising if inconspicuous presence of
Jimmy Jam on organ. The production duo ensure that nothing is plain, yet each song is a controlled burn, extinguished within five minutes, without a threat of a raging wildfire. Most suited for a contemplative Sunday morning,
Small Changes soothes even in its many moments of unease. Whether the songs express loneliness and numbness, or heartache and dejection, each has a conciliatory effect, like
Kiwanuka -- his voice more upfront than ever -- knows that anyone in vaguely similar circumstances can relate. He stretches out only on the downcast two-part "Lowdown," the first half a slightly ragged hybrid of
Rotary Connection and
Velvet Underground, the second half an instrumental with mid-'70s
Pink Floyd a clear inspiration. All else is neatly sculpted and gives off an amber-like glow. Endurance is a common theme, from the fantasist "Floating Parade" (containing a brilliant dubwise
Kiwanuka bassline) to the exquisitely dancing "The Rest of Me" ("Hide me from the noise but I can't stand the sound of silence"). Although a lonesome post-breakup scene finishes it off,
Small Changes also contains some lovely songs about devotion and companionship, including the rustic "One and Only" and spiraling "Stay by My Side." The pacifying quality of
Kiwanuka's voice on the title song is so strong that he could have started quoting from
the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" without jarring most listeners. ~ Andy Kellman
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