Mercury Prize 2014 The elements of a Mercury Prize winner

Since it began in 1992, 22 albums from 21 different artists have waited for those agonising 5 minutes between the host opening their gold envelope and finally announcing the winner of the Mercury Prize. From Primal Scream to Arctic Monkeys, Talvin Singh to Speech Debelle, the Mercury roll call is awash with global stars, critical darlings and pub quiz answers. The Mercury is the UK’s premier music award. It’s the prize everyone or no-one wants to win, depending who you speak to. But just what is it that makes a Mercury winning album? In essence, it should simply be the best album of that given year. However, there’s a bit more to it than that. There’s a shared DNA that connects the disparate list of Mercury winners together. PJ Harvey in particular seems to have it nailed - she’s taken home the prize twice.

You have to have a specific quality to win the Mercury. Sometimes that quality is blindingly obvious, and sometimes it’s a bit deeper and mysterious. In its own way, each winning album forges a connection with an audience. The connection can be broad and overarching on a gargantuan scale, or it can be close, personal and intimate. The connection can be between a close knit musical tribe, or it can cross the vast cultural landscape. What each winning album ultimately does, though, is speak to people in a way that perhaps they haven’t been spoken to before.