Far be from us to say "we told you so", but - we told you
so.
When the nominations for the Mercury Prize were announced, we
predicted PJ Harvey would take the honours. And last night it duly
came to pass.
The bookies had installed her as one of the favourites alongside
all-conquering Adele, but we had complete confidence in Polly Jean.
Why so? Because her album Let England Shake has by some distance
the highest ADM rating of the Mercury contenders.
What's more, it sits proudly at No.3 in our all-time chart, making
it one of the most widely-acclaimed albums of the past few
years.
Adele, for all her quadruple-platinum-selling success, has a
relatively modest 7.1 ADM rating for her album 21.
OK, so we got it wrong last year, when we urged you to put your
money on Paul Weller's Wake Up The Nation only to see The Modfather
pipped by The xx's debut - but in our defence there was only a
marginal difference in the ADM ratings for the two albums: 8.13 and
8.10.
This time round, there was never any doubt.
For the record, here's the ratings for the 10 shortlisted albums
to have featured in the ADM chart (Ghostpoet and Gwilym Simcock
were not reviewed by the majority of our sources).
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
8.7
PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
A richly inventive album that's unlike anything else in Harvey's
back catalogue
The Guardian
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
8.0
James Blake
James Blake
Gorgeous, indelible tunes that are as generous in content as they
are restrained in delivery.
Pitchfork
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.9
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
Diamond Mine
The final results are of such subtle beauty they take the breath
clean away.
music OMH
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.8
Elbow
Build A Rocket Boys!
If anything, 'satisfyingly weathered' may fit the bill best - its
imperfections only serve to hold the interest further.
This Is Fake DIY
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.6
Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi
Pop has its place and all that, but for serious lovers of serious
music, Calvi is the one to watch.
Independent On Sunday
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.6
Metronomy
The English Riviera
An album that has been thought about, craftsmanship that has been
contemplated and carefully created, this is a pure joy.
State
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.4
Katy B
On A Mission
She scrupulously avoids the kind of melismatic over-singing that
is the female pop star's usual lot in a post-TV talent show
world.
The Guardian
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.3
Everything Everything
Man Alive
A captivating, thrilling listen from start to finish - 'Man Alive'
is the best British guitar debut of 2010.
The Fly
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
7.1
Adele
21
Watch out here for the majestic closing track, Someone Like You -
a torch song exquisitely delivered. Brilliant.
The Irish Times
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- -
6.2
Tinie Tempah
Disc-Overy
Genre-hopping at the pace of a particle in the Hadron Collider.
NME