Michael Kiwanuka Books North American Excursion

Michael Kiwanuka’s brand-new album has been praised for its cinematic sound, honest take on race relations and love, and ability to sound both classic and yet totally fresh. The new tunes will be on display when the British singer/songwriter returns to the U.S. and Canada this fall.

Love & Hate was released last week as the follow-up to his debut studio album, 2012’s soul/folk/acoustic Home Again. The LP, which hit No. 1 in the U.K., was produced by Danger Mouse and up-and-coming producer Inflo.

Entertainment Weekly proclaims, “Kiwanuka did more than just broaden his sound on his second album. He created a whole new musical hybrid: Spaghetti Western Soul. Love and Hate … offers an eccentric corollary to the Ennio Morricone scores that waft and swell through Sergio Leone’s classic westerns of the ‘60s. Both soar on grandly conceived strings and Greek chorus choirs, punctuated by shocks of psychedelic guitar.”

Photo: AP Photo / Joe Giblin

Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, R.I.

Examining the moving lyrical content, New York Times says, “Love & Hate is a sustained, stylized plunge into despair: plaints of isolation, doubt, lovelessness, racial injustice, longing, hopelessness and a certain resolve despite it all, often set to mournful minor chords.”

The track “One More Night” was recently included in a round-up from NPR featuring “10 Songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing.”

Jerad Walker from opbmusic writes, “The track’s sweltering horn section and overdriven electric guitar make you feel like you could be slow-walking through a Tarantino film. Kiwanuka’s vocals are as tender as ever, yet laced with a heavy dose of attitude. This is full-throated soul with swagger.”

Kiwanuka takes the stage next at Splendour In The Grass in Yelgun, Australia, Saturday. Following a run of European summer festival appearances, he has headline dates lined up throughout the continent in October and November. The U.S./Canadian outing begins in late November.

Nov. 27 – Philadelphia, Pa., Underground Arts
Nov. 28 – Washington, D.C., 9:30 Club
Nov. 29 – Boston, Mass., Royale Nightclub Boston
Nov. 30 – New York, N.Y., Webster Hall
Dec. 2 – Toronto, Ontario, The Phoenix Concert Theatre
Dec. 3 – Chicago, Ill., Park West
Dec. 4 – Minneapolis, Minn., Cedar Cultural Center
Dec. 7 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Imperial
Dec. 8 – Seattle, Wash., The Showbox
Dec. 11 – San Francisco, Calif., The Fillmore
Dec. 12 – Los Angeles, Calif., The Fonda Theatre

Tickets are on sale now. Visit MichaelKiwanuka.com for more information.