Wake up now

"Wake Up Now is the second solo album by former Portico Quartet percussionist Nick Mulvey, a singer, songwriter, and (primarily) guitarist with a degree in ethnomusicology. The follow-up to his Mercury Prize-nominated debut, First Mind, it likewise showcases an array of world music influences, particularly in terms of rhythm, but listeners will also notice a less intimate, more exuberant presentation ... Not only an album steeped in international styles, but in global events, Wake Up Now addresses topics including the refugee crisis and the impact of fracking. Lead single "Myela," for instance, was inspired by first-hand accounts of journeys taken by refugees. Co-written by Mulvey and backing bandmember Federico Bruno, it draws on African rhythms, pop, and group singing through verses about a young Sudanese woman in Sicily and about making it from Syria to Lebanon ... Even with some serious subject matter and a spare, wistful closing track, the album's bustling arrangementskeepthings spirited and sometimes outright celebratory".

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