Albums this week: Joan Armatrading returns to familiar ground, while Kim Deal and Michael Kiwanuka try something new

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Michael Kiwanuka – Small Changes ★★★★☆ Michael Kiwanuka works at his own pace, such is the unhurried and unheralded arrival of his fourth album Small Changes. On “Rebel Soul”, piano notes arpeggiate like dusk-dappled autumn leaves on soft ground; the tap of a hi-hat precedes Kiwanuka’s earthy murmurs. Small Changes sees Kiwanuka returning to trusted co-producers Inflo and Danger Mouse but – as the album title suggests – they’re not out to repeat the jittery energy of 2019’s Mercury Prize-winning Kiwanuka. The disco-inflected album opener “25 Kisses” is a standout, while “Someone Else” – a propulsive, guitar-led song with an earworm of a chorus – would feel right at home on 1980’s Me Myself I. Armatrading has proved more than willing to evolve down the years, but How Did This Happen is mostly a welcome return to familiar sounds and ideas.