Hear All 12 Mercury Music Prize Nominees

This year's Mercury Music Prize nominees have been announced with the usual mixture of well known superstars and obscure jazz musicians. The annual prize is awarded to the best British album of the year as chosen by music industry experts and journalists, and is well known for its diverse choices of winners.

Whilst you will have probably heard of previous winners such as Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys and Elbow, chances are you haven't heard of acts such as Speech Debelle and Talvin Singh. It is this diversity that marks the Mercury Prize as so unlike most other music awards, and helps create the prestige surrounding it. The winning artist not only gets the glory, but also a cheque for £20,000 and usually a huge boost in album sales.

This year, the nominees are typically varied. Some have had huge number 1 hits, whilst others almost no one will have heard of before. Here we go through the 12 acts nominated, and give you the chance to listen to each one of them.

Adele- 21 (below)
Chances of Winning: 8/10

Adele has had a stunning year already. 21 has spent 17 weeks at the top of the UK album chart- the longest ever by a female artist, and has sold 2.6 million copies in the US alone. One of the favourites for the prize.

Katy B- On a Mission (above)
Chances of Winning: 3/10

Previously a favourite of dubstep producers who needed a female London voice, Katy B stepped into the limelight last year with her number 2 album. The 22 year old singer describes it as "tales of nights out, the experiences of being a young woman in London".

James Blake- James Blake (below)
Chances of Winning: 6/10

DJ, producer and remixer James Blake announced himself this year when the BBC placed him second in their prestigious ‘Sound of 2011' list. He's used his classical training in piano to create an inventive new minimalist dubstep sound.

Anna Calvi- Anna Calvi (above)
Chances of Winning: 7/10

Anna Calvi certainly has style. In both looks and music she has an individualism that is both rare and perfect for the Mercury Prize judges. Her debut album explores "intimacy, passion and loneliness" and already has the backing of some big hitters in the music industry.

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins- Diamond Mine (below)
Chances of Winning: 2/10

Once of the least well known, this album came about from a collaboration between Scottish songwriter King Creosote and producer John Hopkins. The quiet, poignant songs that were the result have rightly been recognised with this nomination.

Elbow- Build a Rocket Boys (above)
Chances of Winning: 4/10

Fresh from a triumphant Glastonbury performance and with 2008's Mercury Prize win still fresh in their memories, Elbow seem to have gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years. However, the judges may not want to award the prize to the same band so soon.

Everything Everything- Man Alive (below)
Chances of Winning: 4/10

This Manchester-based band have so far struggled to crack the mainstream, with their singles failing to reach the top 40. However, their distinctive sound that "leaps and crackles" is critically acclaimed and their album may well be a surprise contender.

Ghostpoet- Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam (above)
Chances of Winning: 5/10

Ghostpoet is a London-based rapper and producer who according to a BBC review is travelling in a "genuinely unique direction. Attempts to slot it into established scenes prove... fruitless". Sound intriguing? Have a listen above.

PJ Harvey- Let England Shake (below)
Chances of Winning: 9/10

PJ Harvey is a Mercury Prize veteran. She was the first female Mercury winner in 2001, having already been nominated in 1993 and 1995, and is favourite to take home the prize again this year. Let England Shake has been described as the work of "a woman at her creative peak".

Metronomy- The English Riviera (above)
Chances of Winning: 5/10

The feel-good, electronic four-piece band that is Metronomy have now released three albums of their "ambling good vibes and darts of sweet synths". Fun and full of hreat tunes, The English Riviera is hard not to like.

Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau (below)
Chances of Winning: 1/10

Every Mercury Prize seems to have a token jazz album that is nominated but never really expected to win. This year thirty-year-old musician Gwilym Simcock fills that gap with his "mesmerizing" debut album.

Tinie Tempah- Disc-Overy (above)
Chances of Winning: 3/10

One of the most successful and well known names in the list, Tinie Tempah exploded on to the UK rap scene with his song Pass Out (above). Matching light hearted lyrics and an instantly recognizable rapping style, he has enjoyed huge commercial success in the last year.

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