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Renowned for his heart-wrenching powerhouse soul album Human, Rag’n’Bone Man (Rory Graham) is back with his second album Life by Misadventure this Friday (7 May). Graham became an overnight sensation for his single release ‘Human’, but he is seeking something new now: a reinvention; a shift in his musical experimentation. Life by Misadventure is just that.

Straying away from his distinctive raw blues and soul sound, Rag’n’Bone Man delves deeper into his honest fresh-cut emotion, laying all of his cards out on the table, in particular with ‘Anywhere Away From Here’, ‘Talking to Myself’, ‘Old Habits’, and ‘Changing of the Guard’. Don’t get it twisted though - his soul sound is still very much there - it's just not as present as on his debut.  The closest Graham veers to his blues and soul roots is on ‘Time Will Only Tell’, a Motown-leaning pop classic that is about listening to your own instincts and focusing on yourself. “Are we listening to ourselves?” he questions throughout.

Similar to artists like Adele, Maverick Sabre, and Florence Welch, Rag'n'Bone Man's voice is distinctive and unmistakable, shining through regardless of what song he is pouring his soul into. On Life By Misadventure, Graham has taken a step back in the department of displaying his vocal capabilities and honed in on the lyrics more. Thriving on honesty, he proves that he's able to relay rawness through both his words and his song. 

Though the album isn’t exactly a ‘mood-lifter’ - it isn’t supposed to be. Life by Misadventure is incredibly biographical and seemingly non-ambiguous. It is a love letter to the important people in his life; friends, family, lovers, his young son and himself. Graham’s rich voice absorbs all of the notes perfectly, and his uniqueness defined within his husky distinctive tone is still prevalent within this album - even though Life by Misadventure is different in terms of style and sound. 

It is vulnerable, it’s raw, it’s powerful, it’s real, it’s free and it’s unapologetic. Each track on Life By Misadventure is a standout in its own right; a thoroughly well-put together album from start to finish.

Life by Misadventure arrives 7 May on Columbia Records.

More about: Rag'n'BoneManRag'n'Bone Man