Michael Kiwanuka has returned to our lives with his fifth studio album ‘FUDGE’, an album which traverses the landscape of new beginnings – but one which has undertaken a new significance since the announcement of Kiwanuka’s health struggles. Originally slated for release in 2025, ‘FUDGE’ was intended to open a new chapter, one which was both self-produced yet self-assured. This took a devastating turn after the London-born artist announced he had suffered a stroke and has since been undertaking the long walk back through rehabilitation. ‘FUDGE’ was already panning out as a break away from what came before, but now this work finds itself inextricably bound to the psychedelic soul singer’s trying times.
The album itself is a touchingly compiled testimony to Kiwanuka’s character – opening with an excerpt of legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea explaining how “the simplest thing to forget” is that music is about pursuing “whatever you think is beautiful”. This outlook is delightfully woven into everything that ‘FUDGE’ has become, with Kiwanuka’s sound cutting right to the core of his own world. After Corea’s musings fade, opening track ‘Summer Clothes’ swirls into the world, and predates Kiwanuka’s struggles with a continued positivity of finding himself comfortable with being on his “own road”. Opening the album with a rich flood of string arrangements sets a beautiful tone for the project, which rolls into ‘California’ – a laid-back tune which blends Beatles-esque staccato strings with Kiwanuka’s introspective lyrical development.
The Mercury Prize winner then sets to build upon the world of ‘FUDGE’, picking up both the pace and the percussive intrigue on ‘Just Another Moment’, a charming track in itself which buries the vulnerability amongst the bright, upward trajectory of its sound. What follows is perhaps the centrepiece of Kiwanuka’s work - a complementary pairing of ‘Drowning In Your Heart’ followed by ‘Love In My Heart’. The former is a stripped-back and sombre penning of having to witness someone’s suffering and being unable to pull them out. Simplistic yet impactful, ‘Drowning In Your Heart’ ends with the lyrics repeatedly circling the song title – perhaps a reflection of being unable to stop that drowning. It is followed by a warmer embrace of ‘Love In My Heart’, an immediate release which pulls us into a psychedelic deliberation which would give Pink Floyd a run for their money. The seven-minute track draws even further from Kiwanuka’s inspirations – pulling jazz inflections and the vulnerability of soul to perfectly capture the disparity between how “trouble is always on my mind” and the warm embrace of love.
Perhaps the standout track on Kiwanuka’s bold new step is ‘Stars’, which wonderfully pairs an acute personal reflection with a newfound sense of space and freedom. The tune is somehow both painfully nostalgic and positively forward-facing, with Kiwanuka turning to dwell on his future more than what has come before as he solemnly sings “I hope you fade away, I hope I find a home”. Capped off with a fuzzy, conflicted guitar, ‘Stars’ is set to stand the test of time as one of Kiwanuka’s top tracks. This whole album contends with itself for top track, with ‘Steve’s Paradise’ making a credible case for itself. In a world of in-your-face hyperpop, Kiwanuka has stepped back, unforced and unshowy in his style to create something touchingly personal. Built upon a base of an organ, used time and again as a touchpoint for Kiwanuka, ‘Steve’s Paradise’ is wonderfully airy and untouchable. In many ways this tune speaks for the album as a whole, unhurried in its quality yet not over-refined – the rough edge has been preserved and is a joy to be heard.
For an album so wrapped up in a deep personal reflection of fear and honesty, ‘FUDGE’ is remarkably uniform in its production. Whilst the project spans from the sunlit uplands of ‘California’ to the crisp soundscape of ‘Swings and Roundabouts’, Kiwanuka retains a clear purpose throughout his sound. Making a break from the producers and studios who sculpted his early work had to be executed well, and ‘FUDGE’ has hit the ground running – nowhere is this more eloquently summarised than in the track ‘Sing’. Opening by stating he needs “miracles to wash away the pain” before performing that very miracle by bringing ‘Sing’ to the world. The rousing string ensemble is a welcome touch of class, and Kiwanuka brings a vibe to the tune that makes you feel as though you’ve got nowhere to be and all day to get there.
Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘FUDGE’ was born as a testimony to new beginnings, a continuity of his sound without standing still – but what it has become far exceeds this. Whilst it will live inexorably tied to the singer’s trying times, the soundscape lives in a world of its own. ‘FUDGE’ is a delight from cover to cover, and we can only hope it is one day eclipsed by the next great step Kiwanuka may take in the future.
Joseph Madden
Image: ‘FUDGE’ Official Album Cover
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