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 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.

Floating Parade    
Small Changes    
One And Only    
Rebel Soul    
Lowdown (Part i)    
Lowdown (Part ii)    
Follow Your Dreams    
Live For Your Love    
Stay By My Side    
The Rest Of Me    
Four Long Years