{"id":1467,"date":"2025-01-21T17:08:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T22:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2025-01-21T17:08:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T22:08:04","slug":"rhythms-and-reviews-small-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/rhythms-and-reviews-small-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhythms And Reviews: Small Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Small Changes,<\/em> the 4th studio record from British, singer, songwriter, and producer Michael Kiwanuka, delivers his signature soul style and vocals with incredible poise. Featuring production from Inflo and the legendary Danger Mouse, this project provides a unique and refreshing take on the soul genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The record kicks off with \u201cFloating Parade,\u201d a masterclass in soft acoustic production with an incredibly rich layering of instrumentation. A jazzy bassline with soft percussion serves as the foundation upon which vocal samples sit to provide an ethereal or floating ambiance to the track. This further builds lyrical themes of emotional escapism amidst struggles of the modern world. I found that the combination of strings later in the track with Kiwanuka\u2019s deep, rich vocals make for an incredibly immersive opener with a refreshing take on modern soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title track, \u201cSmall Changes,\u201d ensues with a slightly more toned down and moody production. Driven by steady percussion, the track features a soft and low-pitched synth that seems to give the semi-nostalgic lyrics a melancholic flair. I personally enjoyed how well the instrumental complements Kiwanuka\u2019s vocals here with the transition from the chorus into the instrumental section sounding incredibly well put together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne and Only\u201d takes a more romantic\/interpersonal shift featuring soft keys and guitar riffs that give the track a very warm feeling. I found this track to be incredibly moving lyrically with the sentiment of lyrics like \u201cWhatever we’re going through, Oh, darling, I’m always with you\u201d matched and enhanced instrumentally. The use of repetition lyrically felt very apt also given the themes of faithfulness and reassurance. If I were to offer a critique, there\u2019s an incredible string section that closes the track that felt like a really good idea that wasn\u2019t super well expanded upon elsewhere in the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next follows \u201cRebel Soul\u201d with its jazzy composition of soft cymbals, ascending keys, and warm basslines. With its pairing of a beautiful composition with incredible vocal harmonizations, this track enthralls from start to finish. It feels incredibly well-put together and fresh making it a massive highlight on the track list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Split into two parts, \u201cLowdown (part i)\u201d and \u201cLowdown (part ii),\u201d proceed with the latter being an instrumental continuation of the former. The former presents an interesting emotion lyrically that seems to communicate the feelings of alienation. I loved the instrumentation here and how the apathetic lyrics in the chorus are paired with soft vocal samples and a steady bassline that almost feels like a drone in certain parts of the track (almost gives the impression of floating aimlessly). The latter track delivers yet more beautiful instrumentals with Kiwanuka flexing his guitar skills overlayed with a string section and percussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFollow Your Dreams\u201d diverges from its predecessors instrumentally with a 1980\u2019s-esque synthesizer being a major contributor to the track. While I was a bit uncertain when I first heard the synth (the acoustic sounds and production is one of the record\u2019s strong suits in my mind), I think it\u2019s used quite artfully in the choruses to diversify the track\u2019s sound a bit. This track features my favorite vocal performances on the record; Kiwanuka\u2019s soothing vocals, packed with so much feeling and emotion, elevate an already fantastic track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to what the track\u2019s title indicates, \u201cLive For Your Love\u201d paints a morbid picture of a failing relationship with Kiwanuka continually drawn back to this individual. The track feels melancholic with a more traditional soul\/R&B drum and bassline composition. I found the lyricism to be of particular interest here especially with how Kiwanuka delivers lines like \u201cThought I became a face in your crowd\u201d with very little emotion (demonstrating exasperation or even apathy). I found Kiwanuka\u2019s soft guitar riffs to be particularly evocative in this track also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next track, “Stay By My Side,” does a complete 180 tone-wise. It features a similar production to its predecessor albeit with a slightly more upbeat tone as a result of the peppy percussion with soft keys and synths. I love Kiwanuka\u2019s vocal performance, especially during the choruses, on this track. I find that his vocal delivery and intonations convey a sense of reassurance perfect for the themes of faithfulness and loyalty presented here. Although I do wish the brief electric guitar at the end of the first chorus was present elsewhere in the track, I find this track to be incredibly strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing the upbeat themes of the previous track, \u201cThe Rest Of Me,\u201d speaks to notions of self-improvement amidst daily struggles. The track features similar instrumentation as previous tracks on the record — with a soft bassline and percussion setting the tone — although the vocal harmonizations present do give the track a more gospel-esque sound. While I enjoyed the introspection present on this track, I think a bit more instrumental diversity might have supplied a bit of the emotional oomph that previous instrumentals on the record conveyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFour Long Years\u201d closes out the record on an incredible high note. This track does well to explore Kiwanuka\u2019s guitar-skills (something I wish was present a bit more on the record). I love the subtle distortion that\u2019s applied to the electric guitar on this track. Kiwanuka does well to not let the guitar overpower the rest of the instrumental while still packing a ton of emotion behind it (which is further compounded by the raw emotions lyrically). There\u2019s also just something about his delivery of \u201cIt\u2019s truly a shame\u201d in the choruses that feels especially crushing in this track. I find this track to be another incredibly moving masterpiece on the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As someone who was introduced to Kiwanuka through this record, I can say that I will be following his work much more closely in the future. From start to finish this record is incredible with wonderfully diverse instrumentation, beautiful vocal performances, and incredibly raw and emotional lyrics. I absolutely loved the acoustic production and instrumentation, and how it gave each track a classic soul sound but with modern twists like synths and electric guitar riffs sprinkled in. I enjoyed this record so much that I struggle to find valid critiques besides purely just wanting more of it. This record is absolutely a contender for one of my favorites to come out of 2024 and highly recommend it for any soul fan and non-soul fan alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Small Changes, the 4th studio record from British, singer, songwriter, and producer Michael Kiwanuka, delivers his signature soul style and vocals with incredible poise. Featuring production from Inflo and the legendary Danger Mouse, this project provides a unique and refreshing take on the soul genre. The record kicks off with \u201cFloating Parade,\u201d a masterclass in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[26,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1467"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1469,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions\/1469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}