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It was tipped to be a race between hotly fancied newcomers The Coral and The Streets.

But veteran rocker David Bowie has confounded expectations by joining a host of the hottest new acts from the UK and Ireland on the shortlist for this year's prestigious Mercury Music Prize.

Surprise nomination

South London born Bowie earned a surprise nomination for his first album in three years, Heathen.

Bowie deserved to be nominated because he had a quality in his voice that no other singer could match, said the chairman of the judges, Simon Frith.

"That's what this record is all about - it's about singing, not hiding the voice under guitars," he continued, "Bowie has never been nominated before, but it may well be that he has actually never been entered by his record company before."

The shortlist

Garage singer Ms Dynamite

Joining hip-hop newcomer The Streets and psychedelic Merseyside group The Coral on the shortlist are garage singer Ms Dynamite, and Mancunian rockers Doves.

Singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes, dubbed "the Irish Dido", said it felt "damn good" to be nominated for her debut, Night On My Side.

Leading light of the British hip-hop scene, Roots Manuva

Also on the list were soul singer Beverley Knight, low-key rock act The Bees and hotly-tipped young brothers The Electric Soft Parade.

A much-touted leading light of the British hip-hop scene, Roots Manuva, was also included, as were versatile pianist Joanna MacGregor and jazz trumpeter Guy Barker.

Front-runner

The consensus in the music industry was that The Streets was the front-runner, said Simon Frith.

"I don't really think of The Streets album as a rap record - it seems to me that it's like a folk record. Its sense of articulation is very different, it's a real one-off."

Mike Skinner aka The Streets has been described as an English Eminem

Birmingham hip-hop artist Mike Skinner is the man behind The Streets, and he recorded Original Pirate Material on his home computer.

The album received wild reviews when it was released in March, and he was described as an English Eminem and the authentic voice of contemporary young Britain.

The prize

Established a decade ago, the Mercury Prize is the music world's answer to the Booker Prize in literature or the Turner Prize in art.

Badly Drawn Boy aka Damon Gough winning the Mercury Music Prize in 2000

It is awarded for the best album of the last year by acts from the UK or Ireland.

The shortlist and winner are decided by a group of judges who look for creativity and artistic credibility, rather than commercial success.

Take a Thames Tour of Rotherhithe including the home of London's whaling and timber trades

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