Life by Misadventure is the second studio album by British singer Rag'n'Bone Man. It was released on 7 May 2021 through Columbia Records and was preceded by two singles: "All You Ever Wanted" and "Anywhere Away from Here", a duet with American singer Pink. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 42,000, including 33,000 on physical formats, making it the fastest-selling album by a solo artist in 2021.[1] The album serves as a follow-up to his 2017 album Human.
Life by Misadventure | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 May 2021 | |||
Genre | Soul, pop | |||
Length | 54:13 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Rag'n'Bone Man chronology | ||||
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Singles from Life by Misadventure | ||||
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Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.3/10[2] |
Metacritic | 62/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash | 7/10[4] |
The Guardian | [5] |
The Independent | [6] |
Line of Best Fit | 6/10[7] |
Mojo | [8] |
NME | [9] |
Life by Misadventure has been given a Metacritic score of 62 based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3] In a positive review, Clash's Josh Abraham noted that the "production is driven by a Motown style". However, it is not "afraid to get deep with a ballad or two".[4] Kate Brayden at Hot Press opined that "Graham felt the need to maintain a safety net for the work, which has little experimentation" but still complimented his "unmatched vintage-meets-modern vocal talent".[10] Narzra Ahmed of Line of Best Fit concluded that while "the first half of the album holds itself together so well", "the second half passes with little to no note".[7] According to El Hunt at NME, "an artist obsessed with the idea of authenticity" is a trap Graham fell right into with the album.[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks produced by Rag'n'Bone Man, Ben Jackson-Cook and Mike Elizondo, except for "Old Habits", which was produced without Elizondo.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fireflies" |
| 3:18 |
2. | "Breath in Me" |
| 2:55 |
3. | "Fall in Love Again" |
| 2:42 |
4. | "Talking to Myself" |
| 3:59 |
5. | "Anywhere Away from Here" (with Pink) |
| 3:59 |
6. | "Alone" |
| 4:36 |
7. | "Crossfire" |
| 3:39 |
8. | "All You Ever Wanted" |
| 3:07 |
9. | "Changing of the Guard" |
| 3:26 |
10. | "Somewhere Along the Way" |
| 4:17 |
11. | "Time Will Only Tell" |
| 2:56 |
12. | "Lightyears" |
| 3:13 |
13. | "Party's Over" |
| 3:40 |
14. | "Old Habits" | Graham | 4:27 |
15. | "Anywhere Away from Here" (solo version) |
| 3:59 |
Total length: | 54:13 |
Personnel
editMusicians
- Rag'n'Bone Man – vocals (all tracks), guitar (14)
- Mike Elizondo – acoustic bass guitar (1), acoustic guitar (3, 10), bass (3), programming (3, 4, 6, 8, 11), synthesizer (3, 4, 6–9, 11), electric guitar (7–10, 13)
- Wendy Melvoin – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 6–13), electric guitar (3–7, 9, 11–13, 15), mandolin (10), ukulele (12)
- Desri Ramus – background vocals (1, 7, 10, 12–14)
- Sylvia Mwenze – background vocals (1, 7, 12–14)
- Daru Jones – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–13)
- Bill Banwell – electric guitar (1), bass (2–13, 15)
- Ben Jackson-Cook – piano (1, 3–7, 9, 11–15), programming (3, 4), synthesizer (3, 4)
- Peter Josef – background vocals (2–6, 9–13, 15)
- Peter Gregson – strings (2)
Technical
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Adam Hawkins – mixing (1–5, 7, 9–15)
- Jacquire King – mixing (6)
- Shawn Everett – mixing (8)
- Lawson White – engineering (1–13, 15)
- Jamie Sickora – engineering (1–7, 9–13, 15), engineering assistance (8)
- Jamie Tinsley – engineering (14)
- Erica Block – engineering assistance (1–13, 15)
- Zachary Stokes – engineering assistance (1–13, 15)
- Doug Clarke – engineering assistance (1–7, 9–)
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ Copsey, Rob (14 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man's Life By Misadventure charges in at Number 1 on Official Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Life by Misadventure by Rag'n'Bone Man reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for Life by Misadventure by Rag'n'Bone Man". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b Abraham, Josh (7 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure". Clash. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ Cragg, Michael (9 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man: Life By Misadventure review – a heartfelt follow-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ Brown, Helen (6 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man review, Life by Misadventure: A safe but simplistic and forgettable pop-rock-soul offering". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b Ahmed, Narzra. "Life By Misadventure is a partial misfire from Rag'n'Bone Man". Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ Doyle, Tom. "West Side Story". Mojo. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b Hunt, El (6 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man – 'Life in Misadventure' album review: heartless power-pop by numbers". NME. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ Brayden, Kate (7 May 2021). "Album Review: Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure". Hot Press. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "Rag'n'Bone Man Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 19.Týden 2021 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Top Albums (Week 19, 2021)". SNEP. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ "lescharts.ch". Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Griffiths, George (4 January 2022). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – Rag'n'bone Man – Life By Misadventure". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 August 2021.