★★★★★
Truth be told, Butler could have played it safer with Kiwanuka, and the album would have been just fine. However, by adding little touches like a gospel call and response ("Bones") and a haunting, echoing choir ("Always Waiting"), the listening becomes a more rewarding experience. While early comparisons to Bill Withers may be a stretch at this point, Kiwanuka is still an excellent storyteller in his own right...
- www.americansongwriter.com
2013-04-25
★★★★★
It doesn't take much sometimes. In this case it maybe took 30 seconds to know that Michael Kiwanuka's album Home Again was going to bring me to my knees and posses me to start talking uncontrollably in tongue. Forget the entire composition of the album for a second (which is delightful); this dudes voice in itself is a spiritual experience. I'm not sure where to exactly start with this review. Every single aspect of this album has me choked up...
- www.syffal.com
2013-04-02
★★★★★
It seems that Michael Kiwanuka's debut should only be sold at the used counter, a dusty record stuffed inside a weathered sleeve, because the LP possesses a sound and spirit that's years older than he is. Resonating string and brass arrangements on songs like "Rest" rival Nick Drake's Bryter Layter in their incandescence, but it's Kiwanuka's staggering voice that makes you wince at its unrestrained sincerity and tenderness...
- filtermagazine.com
2012-08-06
★★★★★
Michael Kiwanuka is a 24-year old singer/songwriter from North London who has links to the same live scene that introduced Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons. Kiwanuka's has been a name to watch for a while now, taking pole position in Mojo magazine's preview of highlights for 2012. After a couple of listens to debut LP Home Again, it's easy to understand the buzz and anticipation around him...
- www.theaureview.com
2012-04-16
★★★★★
Coming in at the top of the BBC's Sound Of poll is a great achievement, sure to put one's name in the front of the train to music superstardom. But, as Jessie J annoyingly proved last year, such accolades don't always rhyme with excellence. Ka-ching, ka-ching, anyone...
- hour.ca
2012-03-22
★★★★★
Shrugged shoulders and cries of "Huh?" normally greet the BBC's Sound Of... poll whenever it announces its annual shortlist. Despite being culled from the opinions of music pundits, it's always seemed to be a wonky musical barometer more skewed to flashes-in-the-pan or "what will be famous" rather than acts which deserve to be played over and over again...
- www.musicomh.com
2012-03-22
★★★★★
Depending on the consumer viewpoint, the announcement of Michael Kiwanuka as the new BBC "Sound of 2012" may have been either surprising or predictable. Ever since its inception in 2003, the annual poll has provided an introductory pamphlet for major labels to step into a bidding war in pursuit of scoring the next big coup; or more accurately, a blatant reminder for executives to kick themselves for missing out on a reasonably commercial prospect...
- www.noripcord.com
2012-03-19
★★★★★
Michael Kiwanuka: 'an old soul'. Home Again, the debut album by Michael Kiwanuka, is a curious debut for the winner of the BBC Sound of 2012 poll. It may be available as a download but it desperately wants to be a 33rpm vinyl record with a faded sleeve that first entered the second-hand record market around 1973, rather than a 21st-century artefact...
- www.guardian.co.uk
2012-03-15
★★★★★
Seeing Michael Kiwanuka on the bill at some of last summer's festivals, you saw a talent worth keep an eye on. Often appearing solo accompanied by just an acoustic guitar, Kiwanuka was a natural, likeable presence, delivering a fine line in crafted songwriting. Minds weren't exactly blown, but there was a clear sign of a promising talent. Then the BBC Sounds Of poll happened...
- drownedinsound.com
2012-03-15
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