Life by Misadventure

Life by Misadventure
Studio album by Rag'n'Bone Man
Released	7 May 2021
Genre	Soul, pop
Length	54:13
Label	Columbia
Producer	Rory Graham Ben Jackson-Cook Mike Elizondo
Rag'n'Bone Man chronology
Human (2017) Life by Misadventure (2021) What Do You Believe In? (2024)
Singles from Life by Misadventure
"All You Ever Wanted" Released: 29 January 2021 "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

Professional ratings

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.

Life by Misadventure track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Fireflies"	Rory Graham Gabe Simon Natalie Hemby Benjamin Jackson-Cook	3:18
2.	"Breath in Me"	Graham Allen Shamblin Michael Reid Jackson-Cook	2:55
3.	"Fall in Love Again"	Graham Jackson-Cook	2:42
4.	"Talking to Myself"	Graham Ruby Amanfu Sam Ashworth Jackson-Cook	3:59
5.	"Anywhere Away from Here" (with Pink)	Graham Simon Aldred Mark Crew Daniel Priddy Jackson-Cook	3:59
6.	"Alone"	Graham Bill Banwell Jackson-Cook	4:36
7.	"Crossfire"	Graham Banwell Jackson-Cook	3:39
8.	"All You Ever Wanted"	Graham Hemby Jackson-Cook Mike Elizondo	3:07
9.	"Changing of the Guard"	Graham Aldred Crew Priddy Jackson-Cook	3:26
10.	"Somewhere Along the Way"	Graham Pat McLaughlin Jackson-Cook	4:17
11.	"Time Will Only Tell"	Graham McLaughlin Jackson-Cook	2:56
12.	"Lightyears"	Graham David Sneddon Priddy Jackson-Cook	3:13
13.	"Party's Over"	Graham Aldred Crew Priddy Jackson-Cook	3:40
14.	"Old Habits"	Graham	4:27
15.	"Anywhere Away from Here" (solo version)	Graham Jackson-Cook Priddy Crew Aldred	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 Chart performance for Life by Misadventure Chart (2021) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [11] 4 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [12] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [13] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [14] 7 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [15] 87 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [16] 69 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [17] 5 French Albums (SNEP) [18] 24 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] 5 Irish Albums (OCC) [20] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [21] 23 Polish Albums (ZPAV) [22] 41 Scottish Albums (OCC) [23] 1 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] 3 Swiss Albums (Romandy) [25] 1 UK Albums (OCC) [26] 1

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Life by Misadventure Chart (2021) Position Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [27] 73 UK Albums (OCC) [28] 20

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [29]	Gold	100,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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. "Reviews and Tracks for Life by Misadventure by Rag'n'Bone Man". Metacritic . Retrieved 14 May 2021.
4. 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. 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. 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.