Human

"This year's Brits critics' choice winner Rag'n'Bone Man, AKA Rory Graham, has already scored a No 2 smash with the grittily soulful Human, which pairs his urban blues holler with a fat, bass-driven groove that reflects his time served in DIY hip-hop ... At his most gravel-throated, Rag'n'Bone Man is reminiscent of Joe Cocker singing over the chunkier bits of Moby's chart-steamrollering Play. A shame, then, that Human loses its way. There's too much bland, Identikit retro soul, the tasteful production becomes stifling, and the lyrics tip from heartfelt and personal into cliched and overwrought".

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"Moving away somewhat from the less commercial hip-hop/R&B edges of his two EPs (songs from which appear here, including Bitter End and Life in her Yet), Human occasionally veers into smooth formula territory, but for the most part is a collection of ardent rap, sweet-spot blues/soul songs delivered in an experienced showstopper of a voice".

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"Rag'n'Bone Man may appeal to a higher authority in his songs, but he carries his own gravitas too, in a tattooed 6ft frame and bruised holler. So it's a good job that Rag'n'Bone Man has the kind of righteous roar that could breathe life into the phone book, because this album spools together a set of reliable tropes with little in the way of topspin".

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"Som Rag'n'Bone Man træder [Rory Graham] ind i rækken som en af urimeligt mange uovertrufne britiske soulstemmer ... For 10-20 år siden var det et tydeligt tegn på tyndsmurt popmusik, hvis et album havde samme titel og intronummer som det ene store hit. Desværre lykkes det heller ikke for Human at indfri potentialet fra den Two Inch Punch-producerede ode til menneskets fejlbarlighed. Derimod leverer debutalbummet en god samling stemningsfyldt, om end banal gospel-soul-blues ... Graham har også et ganske uventet greb om den kiksede, men i nutidens poplandskab savnede blåøjede soul på sange som Arrow og deluxe-udgavens Your Way or the Rope. At høre en stemme som Allan Mortensens på en sang, der snildt kunne komme fra den festlige ende af Simply Reds katalog, gør det kun mere ærgerligt, at Human er blevet fyldt med så mange versioner af samme støvede sang om indre weltschmerz".

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