There are some familiar and some unfamiliar names on the short-list for the 2018 Mercury Prize as organisers again appear to have played safe. Pop, jazz and grime all appear on the short-list for one of music’s biggest annual prizes but there is still no room for real innovation and dance music has been completely ignored.
The judges list for the Mercury Prize this year is wide-ranging and includes the sponsor’s editor Phil Alexander, Radio 1’s Clara Amfo, broadcaster Danielle Perry, jazz musician Jamie Cullum, pop singer Ella Eyre and the Guardian Guide’s Harriet Gibsone. Lianne La Havas, DJ MistaJam, Mumford and Sons’ Marcus Mumford, Times critic Will Hodgkinson, BBC 6Music’s Jeff Smith, Jessie Ware and Radio X head of music Mike Walsh will also sit on the panel chaired by Jeff Smith which will decide who picks up the prize announced in September.
Early Ladbrokes’ betting suggests bookmakers are struggling to decide on an overall favourite. Florence + the Machine have been nominated but you wouldn’t say the ‘High As Hope’ is the best album the band has ever produced. However, it is only 6/1 with Ladbrokes alongside Lily Allen’s ‘No Shame’. Ms Allen receives her first nomination and is understandably euphoric but a nomination for Arctic Monkeys’ sixth album, ‘Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino’, makes them the joint second most-nominated act in the prize’s history – it is rated a 7/1 chance.
Noel Gallagher, along with his High Flying Birds, receives his first ‘solo’ nomination for ‘Who Built the Moon?’ but he has a history with the Mercury Prize which stretches back to the 1990s when Oasis were nominated for their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ and also ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’.
Everything Everything receive their second Mercury nomination for ‘A Fever Dream’, as do Wolf Alice for ‘Visions of a Life’ (a best 8/1 and 10/1 respectively). It’s difficult to know what the judges’ brief is nowadays when it comes to the Mercury Prize. Are they intended recognise newcomers or established artistes? Does creativity have more impact than financial success? Should the prize really be used to reward longevity in the music industry or encourage new talent? All will be revealed in the autumn.
Mercury Prize 2018 Current Best Odds
Florence + the Machine 6/1, Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys, Sons Of Kemet and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds 7/1, Wolf Alice, Nadine Shah and Jorja Smith 8/1, King Krule 9/1, Everything Is Recorded and Everything Everything 10/1, Novelist 12/1
