PJ Harvey Wins Mercury Prize

Congratulations to PJ Harvey for winning the 2011 Mercury Prize for her album, Let England Shake. This is her second win, her first came a decade ago for her 2001 record, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. Harvey is the only artist to have won twice, and one of few women who've won at all.

This year's shortlist of nominees wasn't without controversy, though. Aside from women being continually underrepresented (which is, let's face it, an industry-wide problem and not something unique to the Mercury Prize), some criticized the list for being too mainstream, not represented a diversity of musical styles or artists, or just being plain stodgy. Valid criticisms, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy with Harvey's win. She's an industry vet with many records under her belt, yet still managed to fly under the most mainstream music fans' radar. And in a industry that grows increasingly obsessed with youth and young upstarts, it's nice to see a more seasoned artist win.