Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes

1xLP Green Marble Vinyl 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 v