Life by Misadventure
2021 studio album by Rag'n'Bone Man
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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 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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
| Aggregate 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
All 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
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
- 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
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[29] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||