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Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
8:40 AM 9th May 2021
arts

Rag ‘N’ Bone Man - Life By Misadventure

 
Rag ‘n’ Bone Man a.k.a. Rory Graham recorded his new album ‘Life by Misadventure’ In Nashville with Grammy winning producer Mike Elizondo. It has a lot to live up to - his debut album, ‘Human’ went quadruple platinum in the UK.

A lot has happened since ‘Human’. Rory became a dad for the first time, got married, then divorced, though the new album does is more than the narrative of a break-up.

In most parts it is a mellow album with guitar and piano being the only instruments on the songs. And, although the album was recorded in Nashville, you would never know -apart perhaps from Somewhere Along The Way.

Rag ‘n’ Bone Man is headlining many festivals this summer. The tracks here are hardly festival songs, instead they would sound better in a smaller intimate venue.

There is a duet with Pink on Anywhere Away From Here which again is a ballad that fits in well with the rest of the album.

The melodies tend to be repeated over and over so that by the end of the song you feel like you know it well; Alone is a good example.

Things begin to look up on Crossfire, which is the type of track I for one associate with Rag ‘n’ Bone Man. The single All You Ever Wanted rolls along like a steam train out of control and is amongst the best tracks on the album.

Time Will Only Tell benefits from a fuller production and sounds to me like a future single. It might have been better if he had gone down this route with the other tracks here and not sounded as morbid.

The understated songs remind me of Adele’s last album; you can imagine that the American record market might have been on Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s mind during the writing and recording process.

‘Life by Misadventure’ is clearly less commercial than his debut album. If you are after a raw and melancholy you will find it here.

I rate the album 3 out of 5.