LONDON, UK (AP) -
Music fans and industry insiders will be kept guessing up to the last minute to find out who has won the Mercury
Music Prize. No clear favourite has emerged for the award, given to the best British or Irish album of the year, which will be presented on Tuesday. Among those that have had most backing are Zero 7, Turin Brakes,
Elbow and Radiohead.
Judges of the prestigious prize are known for picking winners who display more originality than commercial success.
Other names on the shortlist are Basement Jaxx, PJ Harvey, Super Furry Animals and Goldfrapp.
A shortlist of 12 albums was announced in July - but that number has now decreased after the withdrawal of Gorillaz. Many of the artists on the list were not well known and have seen little chart success. And those with the lowest profiles are among those who are being spoken about as possible winners.
It has been reported that London-based newcomers Zero 7 became favourites at bookmakers, who drastically reduced their odds before closing their books, fearing that news of the winner had been leaked.
Zero 7's debut album, Simple Things, has won critical acclaim for its mixture of slow dance beats and atmospheric vocals, and have been compared to Air. But judges do not make a final decision on the winner until the evening of the ceremony.
One member of the judging panel recently wrote to a music industry website to say that a number of bands were still in the running. "It was quite interesting having that e-mail from one of the judges, saying that it could be any one of six or seven," Paul Scaife, editor of ClickMusicBiz, told. "I think it's completely wide open. I do genuinely believe that [the judges] sit down on the night and finally agree on the result, and it probably does go right down to the wire - 10 minutes beforehand."
The judges take previous winners into account so they do not favour one particular musical style or trend, Mr Scaife says.
The biggest name on the list - Radiohead - could emerge victors because there has not been a big-name winner for several years, he said.
Damon Albarn's cartoon pop band Gorillaz - who had been made early favourites - were taken off the shortlist after they said they did not want to win.
Commercial successes like U2 and Craig David are absent and there is also no room for any folk, jazz or classical albums. But the publicity boost from a Mercury nomination usually guarantees a sales boost of between 20% and 100%.
Last year the �20,000 prize went to Damon Gough, better known as Badly Drawn Boy, for his low-key offering The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.
For the first time this year the event will be broadcast by Channel 4, with a special 90-minute programme to be screened on Wednesday, the night after the ceremony.
As in previous years, the Mercury Prize show will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 1.
