Home Again is the debut studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka, which was released on March 12, 2012.[1] It was produced by Paul Butler of the UK indie rock band The Bees in The Steam Rooms, a basement studio in his house in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.[2]
The album garnered a positive reception from critics. Home Again peaked at number 4 in the UK and spawned four singles: "Home Again", "I'm Getting Ready", "I'll Get Along" and "Bones". As of May 2012, the album has sold over 70,000 copies in the UK.[3]
Singles
- "Home Again" was released as Kiwanuka's debut single on January 1, 2012. The song peaked to number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
- "I'm Getting Ready" was released as the album's second single on March 11, 2012. The song peaked at number 187 on the UK Singles Chart.
- "I'll Get Along" was the third single from Home Again and was released on May 28, 2012.[4]
- "Bones" was released as the album's fourth single on September 24, 2012.
- Other releases
- "Tell Me a Tale" and "I'm Getting Ready" were both the title tracks of their parent EPs. Music videos were produced for both songs, in promotion of those EPs.
Critical reception
Home Again received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 25 reviews.[5]
Alexis Petredis of The Guardian gave high praise to Butler's production for capturing early '70s soul music and Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics for feeling authentic, saying that, "Home Again's strength lies in the fact that it manages to tick a lot of boxes without sounding like it set out to tick a lot of boxes."[9] Gareth James of Clash also praised Butler for his soft, acoustic production and compared Kiwanuka's vocals positively to Bill Withers, calling the album "an absolute treat for fans of rootsy vintage soul and a remarkable statement of intent for a debut release."[7] Helen Brown of The Telegraph praised the production aesthetics for sounding complex and easy-going, saying that, "Despite its lyrical portrait of a constant worrier who feels lost and lonely, Home Again is a remarkably assured and sophisticated album."[14] Hilary Saunders of Paste admired Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics for resembling '70s soul artists like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, concluding with, "On Home Again, the young Kiwanuka proves that youth and wisdom are not mutually exclusive and his insights and talents, albeit still a bit raw, suggest great things to come."[12]
Thom Jurek of AllMusic noted that Butler's vintage sounding production felt paint-by-numbers at times and Kiwanuka's lyrical content needed fine-tuning, concluding with, "Despite difficulties, Home Again is a promising debut by an artist who will no doubt deliver big if developed properly."[6] Andy Gill of The Independent also found Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics needing a bit more urgency and edge to them but called the album "a pleasant enough handful of easy-going songs, in which the focus on warmth has left them lacking bite."[10] Emily Mackay of NME questioned the album's lack of gritty lyrics and false authenticity but said there were tracks that felt like genuine work, concluding that "Home Again provides a sumptuously soft place for tired ears to rest. Enough for many, for now, and a good start."[11] Aaron Lavery of Drowned in Sound felt the album was depressing at times but said that "[I]t’s a minor quibble however, of a record that has clearly been crafted with great care and a terrific talent behind both the songwriting and the production."[8]
Track listing
| 1. |
"Tell Me a Tale" |
4:12 |
| 2. |
"I'm Getting Ready" |
2:25 |
| 3. |
"I'll Get Along" |
3:31 |
| 4. |
"Rest" |
3:52 |
| 5. |
"Home Again" |
3:30 |
| 6. |
"Bones" |
3:52 |
| 7. |
"Always Waiting" |
4:31 |
| 8. |
"I Won't Lie" |
4:06 |
| 9. |
"Any Day Will Do Fine" |
3:40 |
| 10. |
"Worry Walks Beside Me" |
5:02 |
Total length: |
38:41 |
| 1. |
"They Say I'm Doing Just Fine" |
3:40 |
| 2. |
"Now I'm Seeing" |
2:34 |
| 3. |
"Ode to You" |
3:23 |
| 4. |
"I'll Get Along (Ethan Johns Sessions)" |
3:40 |
| 5. |
"I Won't Lie (Ethan Johns Sessions)" |
4:01 |
Total length: |
17:27 |
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Sales and certifications
|
Release history
References
- ↑ "Artist website". Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ↑ "Paul Butler & Michael Kiwanuka: Recording Home Again".
- ↑ "Charts EU Airplay Week 18 (p.32)". Music Week. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Michael Kiwanuka – 'I'll Get Along' Video Exclusive On Vevo". MichaelKiwanuka.com.
- 1 2 "Reviews for Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "Home Again - Michael Kiwanuka". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 James, Gareth (3 July 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Clash. Music Republic. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Lavery, Aaron (12 March 2012). "Album Review: Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka: Home Again – review". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Gill, Andy (9 March 2012). "Album: Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again (Polydor)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Mackay, Emily (12 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka - 'Home Again'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Saunders, Hilary (31 July 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka: Home Again". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ↑ Hermes, Will (23 May 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka Home Again". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- 1 2 Brown, Helen (9 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ↑ "iTunes - Music - Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka".
- ↑ "MICHAEL KIWANUKA - Diskografie - Home Again (Deluxe Edition) - Album, CD - CDs, Discography - Universal Music".
- ↑ "iTunes - Music - Home Again (Deluxe Version) by Michael Kiwanuka".
- ↑ "The ARIA Report - Week Commencing ~ 30 July 2012 ~ Issue #1170" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association / Pandora.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ↑ "Austrian Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- 1 2 "Belgium (Flanders) Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Belgium (Wallonia) Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html
- ↑ "Danish Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Dutch Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ http://lescharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a
- ↑ "Irish Albums Chart > Archive > Week Ending: March 15, 2012". GFK.
- ↑ "Norwegian Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Portuguese Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Scottish Albums Chart > Archive > Week Ending: March 24, 2012". Scottish Albums Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
- ↑ "Swedish Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Swiss Charts Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again". Hung Medien.
- ↑ "UK Albums Chart > Archive > Week Ending: March 24, 2012". The Official Charts Company.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2012/folk-albums?page=4
- ↑ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2012&cat=a
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/folk-albums?page=4
- ↑ "Annee 2012 - Certifications au 03/12/2012" (PDF) (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ↑ "Gouden plaat voor Michael Kiwanuka". 3FM. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
- ↑ "Mercury Prize 2012 - the winners so far". Official Charts Company. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
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