April 6, 2020 — Welcome back to 10 Gems, our new series featuring 10-song, single-artist playlists that we think may especially appeal to SoulTrackers. The focus here is not on track position or “hits,” although some are included; rather, it’s all about quality, atmospherics, groove, and feel.
Our featured artist is the UK singer/songwriter and guitarist Michael Kiwanuka. Simply put, Michael is special. He occupies entirely his own lane musically, a hypnotizing mix of R&B, soul, alt rock, gospel, hip hop and folk. Artists like Michael emerge all too infrequently in these days of committee-written, copycat, laptop-produced, beat-driven popular music that is created it seems to capture the lowest common denominator of fans. He is an organic, uncompromising artist who aims for your heart and mind, with a voice so rich, warm and honest that you can’t help but be drawn to the flame. Enjoy.
By Robb Patryk
