Home Again (Michael Kiwanuka album)

Home Again is the debut studio album by London-based singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka, which was released on 12 March 2012.[3] It was produced by Paul Butler of the UK indie rock band The Bees in The Steam Rooms, a basement studio in his house in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.[4]

Home Again
Studio album by
Michael Kiwanuka
Released12 March 2012 (2012-03-12)
Recorded2011–2012
StudioThe Steam Rooms (Ventnor, Isle of Wight)
Genre
Length38:41
LabelLondon, Polydor (UK)
Interscope (US)
ProducerPaul Butler
Michael Kiwanuka chronology
I'm Getting Ready
(2011)		 Home Again
(2012)		 You've Got Nothing to Lose
(2014)
Michael Kiwanuka studio album chronology
Home Again
(2012)		 Love & Hate
(2016)
Singles from Home Again
  1. "Home Again"
    Released: 1 January 2012
  2. "I'm Getting Ready"
    Released: 11 March 2012
  3. "I'll Get Along"
    Released: 28 March 2012
  4. "Bones"
    Released: 24 September 2012
  5. "Tell Me a Tale"
    Released: 2013

The album garnered a positive reception from critics. Home Again peaked at number 4 in the UK and spawned four singles: "Home Again", "I'm Getting Ready", "I'll Get Along" and "Bones". As of May 2012, the album has sold over 70,000 copies in the UK.[5]

Singles
  • "Home Again" was released as Kiwanuka's debut single on 1 January 2012. The song peaked to number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "I'm Getting Ready" was released as the album's second single on 11 March 2012. The song peaked at number 187 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "I'll Get Along" was the third single from Home Again and was released on 28 May 2012.[6]
  • "Bones" was released as the album's fourth single on 24 September 2012.
Other releases
  • "Tell Me a Tale" and "I'm Getting Ready" were both the title tracks of their parent EPs. Music videos were produced for both songs, in promotion of those EPs.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Clash8/10[9]
Drowned in Sound7/10[10]
The Guardian[11]
The Independent[12]
NME7/10[13]
Paste7.5/10[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
The Telegraph[16]

Home Again received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 25 reviews.[7]

Alexis Petredis of The Guardian gave high praise to Butler's production for capturing early '70s soul music and Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics for feeling authentic, saying that, "Home Again's strength lies in the fact that it manages to tick a lot of boxes without sounding like it set out to tick a lot of boxes."[11] Gareth James of Clash also praised Butler for his soft, acoustic production and compared Kiwanuka's vocals positively to Bill Withers, calling the album "an absolute treat for fans of rootsy vintage soul and a remarkable statement of intent for a debut release."[9] Helen Brown of The Telegraph praised the production aesthetics for sounding complex and easy-going, saying that, "Despite its lyrical portrait of a constant worrier who feels lost and lonely, Home Again is a remarkably assured and sophisticated album."[16] Hilary Saunders of Paste admired Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics for resembling '70s soul artists like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, concluding with, "On Home Again, the young Kiwanuka proves that youth and wisdom are not mutually exclusive and his insights and talents, albeit still a bit raw, suggest great things to come."[14]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic noted that Butler's vintage sounding production felt paint-by-numbers at times and Kiwanuka's lyrical content needed fine-tuning, concluding with, "Despite difficulties, Home Again is a promising debut by an artist who will no doubt deliver big if developed properly."[8] Andy Gill of The Independent also found Kiwanuka's vocals and lyrics needing a bit more urgency and edge to them but called the album "a pleasant enough handful of easy-going songs, in which the focus on warmth has left them lacking bite."[12] Emily Mackay of NME questioned the album's lack of gritty lyrics and false authenticity but said there were tracks that felt like genuine work, concluding that "Home Again provides a sumptuously soft place for tired ears to rest. Enough for many, for now, and a good start."[13] Aaron Lavery of Drowned in Sound felt the album was depressing at times but said that "[I]t’s a minor quibble however, of a record that has clearly been crafted with great care and a terrific talent behind both the songwriting and the production."[10]

Track listing
Standard listing
No.TitleLength
1."Tell Me a Tale"4:12
2."I'm Getting Ready"2:25
3."I'll Get Along"3:31
4."Rest"3:52
5."Home Again"3:30
6."Bones"3:52
7."Always Waiting"4:31
8."I Won't Lie"4:06
9."Any Day Will Do Fine"3:40
10."Worry Walks Beside Me"5:02
Total length:38:41
Deluxe Version[17]
No.TitleLength
11."They Say I'm Doing Just Fine"3:40
12."Now I'm Seeing"2:34
13."Ode to You"3:23
14."I'll Get Along" (Ethan Johns Sessions)3:40
15."I Won't Lie" (Ethan Johns Sessions)4:01
Total length:17:27

Personnel

Adapted from the Home Again booklet.[18]

Charts

Sales and certifications
Sales certifications for Home Again
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[44] Gold 50,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[45] Gold 25,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[46] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Gold 101,300[48]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release history for Home Again
Country Release date Format(s) Label
United Kingdom 12 March 2012 Digital download, CD, LP Polydor Records
United States 8 May 2012 Interscope

References
  1. Monger, Timothy. "Love & Hate - Michael Kiwanuka | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  2. Kemp, Mark (1 August 2016). "British Singer-Songwriter Michael Kiwanuka's Latest Debuts in Folk Top 5". Acoustic Guitar. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  3. "Artist website". Michaelkiwanuka.com. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  4. "Paul Butler & Michael Kiwanuka: Recording Home Again". Soundonsound.com.
  5. "Charts EU Airplay Week 18 (p.32)". Music Week. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  6. "Michael Kiwanuka – 'I'll Get Along' Video Exclusive On Vevo". MichaelKiwanuka.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012.
  7. "Reviews for Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  8. Jurek, Thom. "Home Again – Michael Kiwanuka". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  9. James, Gareth (3 July 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Clash. Music Republic. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  10. Lavery, Aaron (12 March 2012). "Album Review: Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  11. Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka: Home Again – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  12. Gill, Andy (9 March 2012). "Album: Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again (Polydor)". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  13. Mackay, Emily (12 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka – 'Home Again'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  14. Saunders, Hilary (31 July 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka: Home Again". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  15. Hermes, Will (23 May 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka Home Again". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  16. Brown, Helen (9 March 2012). "Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  17. "MICHAEL KIWANUKA – Diskografie – Home Again (Deluxe Edition) – Album, CD – CDs, Discography – Universal Music".
  18. Home Again (booklet). Michael Kiwanuka. Polydor. 2012. 2785405.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. "The ARIA Report – Week Commencing ~ 30 July 2012 ~ Issue #1170" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association / webarchive.nla.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
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  23. "Danishcharts.dk – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  25. "Lescharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  27. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Michael Kiwanuka". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  28. "Italiancharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  29. "Charts.nz – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  30. "Norwegiancharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  31. "Portuguesecharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  32. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  33. "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  34. "Swisscharts.com – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  36. "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  37. "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  38. "Michael Kiwanuka Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  39. "ultratop.be – ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  40. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2012". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  41. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2012" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  42. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  43. "Americana/Folk Albums – Year-End". Billboard.com. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  44. "French album certifications – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (PDF) (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013.
  45. "Gouden plaat voor Michael Kiwanuka". 3FM. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  46. "Norwegian album certifications – Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  47. "British certifications". British Phonographic Industry. Select Gold in the Certification field. 
  48. "Mercury Prize 2012 – the winners so far". Official Charts Company. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
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