Adele, Radiohead Lead Mercury Prize Short List
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Albums by Adele and Radiohead are among the 12-strong short list for the U.K.’s 2008 Nationwide Mercury Prize, announced Tuesday.
Soul singer Adele, now 20, was nominated for her debut “19,” and the short list also includes 18-year-old Laura Marling, whose first CD is called “Alas I Cannot Swim.” Led Zeppelin veteran Robert Plant, 59, is also nominated, for his album with Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand.”
“This turns out to be a remarkably rich year for British music,” Simon Frith, chairman of the judges, said in an e-mailed release. “What is most striking is the continued resilience and flexibility of the album as a way of organizing music-making.”
The Mercury Prize, awarded annually since 1992, is sponsored by Nationwide Building Society. It has often been given to new or non-commercial acts and pits different genres, ranging from folk and jazz to hard rock, against one another. The winner receives a prize of $40,000, although the boost from album sales can be worth much more.
The 2008 list also includes the Last Shadow Puppets album, “The Age of the Understatement.” The band features Alex Turner, best known as one of the Arctic Monkeys. British Sea Power, Burial, and Elbow are among others with CDs on the list.
