Mercury Prize 2011: Adele, PJ Harvey Both Named As Favorites For Award (UPDATE)

UPDATE: PJ Harvey was awarded the Mercury Prize, making her the first artist to win the coveted award twice.

In a world where awards are given based on talent, the Mercury Prize, one of the UK's -- and the music industry's -- most prestigious awards, will be handed to one British musician (or musical group) tonight. In the guessing game leading up to the evening, we've somehow ended up with two favorites who are being labeled not just as "a favorite," but "THE favorite."

It seems different metrics are being used to determine what constitutes this. According to the Guardian, PJ Harvey is the favorite to win this evening, with bookmakers Ladbrokes and Paddy Power giving her 5/4 odds, as opposed to much lower 5/1 odds for Adele. The BBC also places Harvey as the favorite, citing the bookmakers as well. Harvey won the prize once before in 2001, for Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea. If she wins again, she'll be the first artist to ever take home the Mercury twice.

Despite Adele's low odds compared to Harvey's, the Associated Press has a different vision for the evening, though their metric is unclear. The AP article states that "Adele is the favorite to win," but it doesn't elaborate on why, aside from the fact that she has been dominating album and single charts across the globe since the release of 21. Adele was listed as leading the shortlist for the award back in July, which may make her the default favorite for the award for those who aren't taking bookies into account.

Whoever the favorite is, it may not even matter since the Mercury Prize has a history of opting for the underdog. In 2002, Ms Dynamite won for her debut album, beating out The Streets and David Bowie. In 1999, Talvin Singh beat out The Chemical Brothers and Blur for the top prize.

So really, this is anyone's game. But we're keeping our fingers crossed that credit is given where it's due for Harvey's gorgeously haunting Let England Shake.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Adele – 21
Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Elbow – Build a Rocket Boys!
Everything Everything – Man Alive
Ghostpoet – Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
Gwilym Simcock – Good Days at Schloss Elmau
James Blake – James Blake
Katy B – On a Mission
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
Metronomy – The English Riviera
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Tinie Tempah – Disc-Overy

Listen to PJ Harvey's "England":

Listen to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep":

Quick Poll

Who should win the Mercury Prize?

Adele

PJ Harvey

Neither

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[Paintio]

03:13 PM on 09/10/2011

Polly Jean!!!!!!!

[ghorialtaf]

03:20 PM on 09/08/2011

For Mercury Prize 2011 are many vote and polls awaiting a bright future,in favor of our favorites.

[tyrant510]

01:20 AM on 09/07/2011

i doubt that most of the people here that voted in the poll have even heard the pj record. i have both of them and both are great. with that being said, pj deserved this award. amazing record.

[Tazzie]

08:48 PM on 09/06/2011

The UK is really spoilt for choice with this one. Glad it's not my decision to make love them both. Thank (name your deity) for the British Music Industry, well except for Simon Cowell and his minions.

[Paintio]

03:12 PM on 09/10/2011

"Pick Your King(?)"

[Tuffy Luvvy]

08:21 PM on 09/06/2011

Adele needs to lose weight if she wants to win.

[Tazzie]

08:45 PM on 09/06/2011

No

[Tuffy Luvvy]

09:49 PM on 09/06/2011

Obesity is a disease.

[nonibright]

10:39 AM on 09/09/2011

Weight has nothing to do with the quality of the voice, obviously you've never been to an opera!
I can't imagine the lead tenors and baritones and some sopranos being skinny! Talent is talent no matter how it is packaged.

[Huffy Poster 7]

01:39 PM on 09/25/2011

True, but she also smokes. I'm a huge Adele fan... uuuhm... not weight-wise. I just like her work, but I do need to quit smoking :)

[silk olive]

04:20 PM on 09/06/2011

Claudine, the Inflatable One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5QXwuQgcs

[silk olive]

04:14 PM on 09/06/2011

Adele is incredibly talented. But PJ Harvey has been making critically-lauded albums since the early 90s she never takes the safe route. Her solo albums and collaborative projects never cease to surprise (for better or worse something, I personally miss the the "Dry" and "50 Foot Queenie" days.)

One artist is very pop mainstream, the other much more edgey. One artist has a long established history of making good music, the other is just getting started.

[gemini68]

03:16 PM on 09/06/2011

This is a tough one. I have been a PJ Harvey fan since I was yey high to a junebug. She IS a musical genius. BUT- she has one before. Adele is amazing and is the newbie and deserves a crack at it. I love them both! But who knows- they may cancel each other out and someone else altogether might win.

[BuckyJamesDio]

07:39 PM on 09/06/2011

I agree, it is a toughie. My feeling is that Harvey will win this year, with the expectation that Adele will keep it up and snag it next year. We'll see.

[Kendra Kroll]

02:35 PM on 09/06/2011

LOVE that Adele song. awesome.

[syllepsis]

01:16 PM on 09/06/2011

PJ deserves it for being such a shapeshifter.

[lovelybunchofcoconuts]

01:16 PM on 09/06/2011

Wow, there really isn't any comparison, I don't even see how those two could be up against each other. If Adele wins over PJ Harvey, I just don't know what to say.

[gemini68]

03:18 PM on 09/06/2011

They're both amazing. I've had the pleasure of seeing PJ in concert and she was breathtaking- but so is Adele. Who has finally given the modern day record industry some credibility after all the drivel they have churned out over the last ten years.

[lovelybunchofcoconuts]

03:56 PM on 09/06/2011

I just discovered both of them this week, but I can't get with Adele. Oh well, different strokes for different folks (that's how old I am, I say things like that).

[femmyror]

12:50 PM on 09/06/2011

PJ Harvey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was amazing 15 years ago, and she's amazing now.