Indie band Wild Beasts have been giving their predictions for this year’s Mercury Music Prize, and have named Leeds-based singer Corinne Bailey Rae as their tip for the annual prize.
Corinne is nominated for her second studio album ‘The Sea‘, and speaking to DS, Wild Beasts’ bass player Tom Fleming declared her as a worthy potential winner. “There’s a few,” Fleming replied when asked on his desired winner. “We’ve got some genuine friends on there. We’d love to see Villagers win it. Foals toured with us for a long time who were unfairly overlooked with their first album so I think that’d be wonderful for them. We always said of The xx that if we were nominated we’d only be there to see them pick it up! But my tip for it has to be Corinne Bailey Rae. If I had to put money on it that’s who I’d put money on. I dunno why, I just have a feeling!”
Later, Fleming also spoke of his thoughts on the make-up of this year’s shortlist, as the judges attempt to combine more mainstream quality with a recognition for less established talent. “A criticism I always had about the Mercury Prize was that it didn’t necessarily represent the best albums of the year – but it’s such a high-profile thing, there has to be an engagement with the mainstream to make it even remotely interesting to most people,” he said. “Some albums, like Kit Downes Trio or Villagers, to put those in the same company as Paul Weller and Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons is definitely going to improve their profile, whereas if they were in with King Midas Sound maybe it wouldn’t.”
The winner will be announced at a London ceremony on September 7th.
