Sleeve Notes: The Mercury prize gets the temperature rising

As announcements go, this year's Mercury prize nominations didn't exactly set my world on fire (nor that of Alexis Petridis, who blogged on the announcement). Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, Corinne Bailey Rae, I Am Kloot ... I guess the judges liked these albums, but do they really exemplify the diversity and excitement of new British music in 2010? It all depends on what you think the Mercury prize is for – shining a light on smaller bands, rewarding success or trying to decide whether a jazz...

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