Music is a vast industry; the variety of genres and styles never fails to disappoint. Nevertheless, it’s hard to find something new – especially featuring high in the charts. But Rag’n’Bone Man’s debut album Human seems to offer just that. With his rich, bluesy voice, religious imagery, and powerful baselines, Rag’n’Bone Man is a breath of fresh air in the world of music.
Rory Graham’s music career originated in hip hop, but at the age of 19, his father persuaded him to sing at a blues jam at a local pub. It then became clear that Graham was meant to be a singer, and he gained experience working with various other musicians and producers. Under the name of Rag’n’Bone Man, Graham released EPs Disfigured (2014) and Wolves (2015) with label Best Laid Plans Records – a record label set up by band Bastille’s lead singer Dan Smith, producer Mark Crew, and Dan Priddy.
Human opens with its first single – an undeniably memorable tune of the same name, which was the UK’s Christmas number two in 2016. The themes of innocence and guilt, victim and criminal, run throughout the album; Rag’n’Bone Man explores the concept of blame in many of his songs, seeming to question the emphasis humans seem to place on making accusations of others, exploring the unforeseen repercussions of actions – in an especially exposing modern world. He aptly captures the raw inevitability of human emotion and behaviour.
Perhaps one of the most striking songs of this album is Die Easy; on first listen, it really pulls you in because there’s something, something different about it, but it takes a minute or so to realise what it is. What ‘it’ is, is that Graham sings the whole song a capella. Singing a capella in real life is a hard enough feat to achieve, but on a record it’s even more exposing. Rag’n’Bone Man’s voice absolutely rises to the challenge though – filling the space with his resonant tones, showing off just why he doesn’t need instruments or electronic sounds to make the track. One listener said, ‘I love that you get to hear a real voice’ – something that can be hard to come by with the influx of artificial sound in modern music.
Rag’n’Bone Man is highly deserving, therefore, of his two Brit awards; not only did he receive the Critic’s Choice Award, but the British Breakthrough Act – voted for by the public, suggesting that the best of Rag’n’Bone Man is yet to come. Touring from 9th March this year, with an action-packed summer of gigs and festivals, Rag’n’Bone Man isn’t one to miss.
Emily Anderson, Rosebery School
