Life by Misadventure explained

Life by Misadventure
Type:	studio
Artist:	Rag'n'Bone Man
Cover:	Rag'n'Bone Man - Life by Misadventure.png
Released:	7 May 2021
Genre:	Soul, pop
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	Rory Graham Ben Jackson-Cook Mike Elizondo
Prev Title:	Human
Prev Year:	2017

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

Life by Misadventure has been given a Metacritic score of 62 based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a positive review, Clashs 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". 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".^[2] 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". According to El Hunt at NME, "an artist obsessed with the idea of authenticity" is a trap Graham fell right into with the album.

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.

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

Chart (2021)! scope="col"

Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[3]	4
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[4]	23
Swiss Albums (Romandy)^[5]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"

Position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[6]	73
UK Albums (OCC)^[7]	20

Notes and References

1. News: Rag'n'Bone Man's Life By Misadventure charges in at Number 1 on Official Albums Chart. Copsey. Rob. Official Charts Company. 14 May 2021. 14 May 2021.
2. Web site: Album Review: Rag'n'Bone Man - Life By Misadventure. Brayden. Kate. Hot Press. 7 May 2021. 14 May 2021.
3. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 May 2021. 14 May 2021.
4. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 17 May 2021. 15 May 2021.
5. Web site: lescharts.ch. 16 September 2021. dmy-all.
6. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021. hitparade.ch. 26 December 2021. de.
7. Web site: The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2021. Official Charts Company. Griffiths. George. 4 January 2022. 4 January 2022.