Love & Hate

by Michael Kiwanuka

Overview

On his ambitious sophomore set, London native Michael Kiwanuka expands outward from the warm retro-soul of 2012 debut, Home Again. With its trio of producers and transatlantic recording locales, Love & Hate arrives with the weight of high expectations. Announcing his intentions from the start, Kiwanuka challenges listeners with "Cold Little Heart," an exquisitely arranged, ten-minute opus of lush strings and elegant backing vocals whose first line doesn't arrive until the halfway point. It's a Homeric bit of heartbroken prog-soul that shows off its creator's lead guitar chops as much as his rich, sandy voice. Co-produced by Danger Mouse and Inflo, it also introduces the heavy tonal palette that runs through the remainder of the album's ten tracks, even those produced by Kiwanuka's longtime collaborator, Paul Butler. Where Home Again was ultimately an intimate and gentler affair, Love & Hate puts some distance between singer and audience as he offers his worldweary introspections against the framework of '70s R&B, funk, and spaced-out rock. The timely social commentary of lead single "Black Man in a White World" feels lonesome and heavy in spite of its uptempo, hand-clapped rhythm and nimble guitar groove. Throughout the album, the space between parts is somehow wider, yet each tambourine hit, backing vocal, or funky guitar lick feels darker and more severe. The mildly psychedelic title cut is a mid-album standout whose slow-burning swagger and epic seven-minute length is countered by the tight, punchy "One More Night." Overall, Love & Hate has very little of the breezy, quietly strummed charm of its predecessor, but it represents serious growth from an artist deliberately pushing his boundaries. With this release, Kiwanuka has delivered a dark, graceful, and affecting artistic statement that is worth the patience it takes to experience it. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/20/2023
Label:	Polydor
UPC:	0602455490391
Rank:	91654

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Michael Kiwanuka   Primary Artist,Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Paul Butler   Drum Machine,Moog Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background),Cello,Trumpet,Clavinet,Keyboards,Percussion
Bryony James   Double Bass
Pheobe Edwards   Vocals (Background)
James Gardiner-Bateman   Saxophone
Anna Croad   Violin
Kotono Sato   Violin
Andy Parkin   Violin
Peter Randall   Bass,Double Bass,Fender Jazz Bass,Vocals (Background)
Inflo   Bass,Drums,Piano,Vocals (Background)
Miles James   Guitar (Electric)
Jay Abdul   Vocals (Background)
Naomi Cohen   Double Bass
Graham Godfrey   Drums,Percussion,Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Jenny Sacha   Violin
Ladonna Harley Peters   Vocals (Background)
Kerenza Peacock   Violin
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Emma Owens   Double Bass
Natalia Bonner   Violin
Sally Jackson   Violin
Deborah Widdup   Violin
Danger Mouse   Bass,Organ,Piano,Percussion,Synthesizer Pads
Rebecca Jones   Double Bass
Richard Pryce   Double Bass
Gillon Cameron   Violin
The Wired Strings   Orchestra
Paul Boldeau   Vocals (Background)
Rosie Danvers   Cello
Eleanor Mathieson   Violin
Gary Plumley   Flute,Saxophone

Technical Credits

Paul Butler   Vocal Producer,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Samur Khouja   Engineer
Huw White   String Arrangements
Michael Kiwanuka   Composer
Jon McMullen   Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Dean Josiah Cover   Composer
Inflo   Producer
Dave Granshaw   Engineer
Joshua David Morales   Assistant Engineer
Graham Godfrey   Tape Machine
Richard Woodcraft   Mixing,Engineer,String Engineer
Yousef   Design,Artwork
Brian Burton   Composer
Danger Mouse   Producer,Vocal Producer,Additional Production
Guy Davie   Mastering
Rosie Danvers   String Arrangements
Todd Monfalcone   Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Ken Takahashi   Mixing,Engineer