6. Michael KiwanukaLove & Hate
He’s new to me, a Londoner, and relatively recent. Again I fall back on the challenge of digging through so many day-to-day musical releases in that grandiose search for something satisfying. This came as a pleasant surprise, without any backstory whatsoever. I first came as a visitor to London in the ‘70s and it was a period of discovery. London was probably the liveliest place to experience something new. Here it’s probably the lyrical content and a consistency that strikes me most. Some people can even find messaging musical offerings that have no singer whatsoever: it’s messaging. I think that’s a good word.
I was just wrapping up an appearance where I bumped into the great guitarist Steve Cropper from Booker T. & The M.G.’s and of course they were the backing band for so many of the great artists on the Stax label. I said, "Gee, Steve, the Stax records had a remarkable sound. Release by release they had a consistency you could identify. How did you dream up the idea?" And he said, "Well… we didn’t. I agree that the Stax records have a recognisable character. But the studio in Memphis was in one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods. To avoid having the gear stolen after a probable break-in, we nailed everything to the floor!"
