Life by Misadventure

Life by Misadventure
Studio album by
Rag'n'Bone Man
Released7 May 2021
GenreSoul, pop
Length54:13
LabelColumbia
Producer
Rag'n'Bone Man chronology
Human
(2017) 		Life by Misadventure
(2021)
Singles from Life by Misadventure
  1. "All You Ever Wanted"
    Released: 29 January 2021
  2. "Anywhere Away from Here"
    Released: 9 April 2021

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.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.3/10[2]
Metacritic62/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash7/10[4]
The Guardian[5]
The Independent[6]
Line of Best Fit6/10[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

[edit]

All tracks produced by Rag'n'Bone Man, Ben Jackson-Cook and Mike Elizondo, except for "Old Habits", which was produced without Elizondo.

Life by Misadventure track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fireflies"
3:18
2."Breath in Me"
2:55
3."Fall in Love Again"
  • Graham
  • Jackson-Cook
2:42
4."Talking to Myself"
3:59
5."Anywhere Away from Here" (with Pink)
3:59
6."Alone"
  • Graham
  • Bill Banwell
  • Jackson-Cook
4:36
7."Crossfire"
  • Graham
  • Banwell
  • Jackson-Cook
3:39
8."All You Ever Wanted"
3:07
9."Changing of the Guard"
  • Graham
  • Aldred
  • Crew
  • Priddy
  • Jackson-Cook
3:26
10."Somewhere Along the Way"
4:17
11."Time Will Only Tell"
  • Graham
  • McLaughlin
  • Jackson-Cook
2:56
12."Lightyears"
3:13
13."Party's Over"
  • Graham
  • Aldred
  • Crew
  • Priddy
  • Jackson-Cook
3:40
14."Old Habits"Graham4:27
15."Anywhere Away from Here" (solo version)
  • Graham
  • Jackson-Cook
  • Priddy
  • Crew
  • Aldred
3:59
Total length:54:13

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • 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

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Life by Misadventure by Rag'n'Bone Man reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for Life by Misadventure by Rag'n'Bone Man". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Abraham, Josh (7 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure". Clash. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. ^ Cragg, Michael (9 May 2021). "Rag'n'Bone Man: Life By Misadventure review – a heartfelt follow-up". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b Ahmed, Narzra. "Life By Misadventure is a partial misfire from Rag'n'Bone Man". Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. ^ Doyle, Tom. "West Side Story". Mojo. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Brayden, Kate (7 May 2021). "Album Review: Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure". Hot Press. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  11. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Rag'n'Bone Man Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Top Albums (Week 19, 2021)". SNEP. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  21. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rag'n'Bone Man – Life by Misadventure". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  25. ^ "lescharts.ch". Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  28. ^ Griffiths, George (4 January 2022). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  29. ^ "British album certifications – Rag'n'bone Man – Life By Misadventure". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
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