Right before my birthday (which was on April 5) I wanted to start doing something that I would enjoy doing. I brainstormed for a little bit and decided to start listening to new albums as they come out in 2017 and review it on YouTube. While in the process, I came across an album called Human by Rag'n'Bone Man. I've never heard of this artist before so I thought to give it a try. You can watch my reaction here and below, is a written summary of what I think of this album.
Human: 10 out of 10 This was a fantastic first song. I tend to judge albums based on the first song of the album because I feel like the first song on an album should be the introduction of what the album is going to sound like and who the artist is; especially for newer listeners. This song, was a great introduction to who Rag'N'Bone Man is an artist, especially since I'm a new listener.
Innocent Man: 8 out of 10
There's a theory I have about albums: the second song is either super great or super bad. This second song was amazing. This song was a great follow up from the first song. I think what made me enjoy this song is its strong chorus. So far, I'm really enjoying this album.
Skin: 8 out of 10 Where has this guy been all my life? When a song starts with a chorus, it better be strong as hell and this one was super strong but what i liked the most is that there was more to the chorus than meets the ear. The second half of the chorus that we found out about later in the song was fantastic!
Bitter End: 8 out of 10 We're getting gold after gold after gold with this album. I'm becoming a fan of Rag'N'Bone Man. The first line in this song made me think about my existence way too much. It was such a clever line. From start to finish I was invested. Is it too early to say it might be my favorite? ...or the first song? How about a tie.?
Be The Man: 7 out of 10 This song is so cute and cheesy. I don't like it but i don't hate it ya know? You know how some albums have songs that are automatic skips no matter how much you like that artist or album? This was that song for me.
Love You Any Less: 9 out of 10 When I made the video for this album review (which you can watch right here) it wasn't a Sunday. So why was Rag'N'Bone Man taking me to church? This song hypnotized me right away. Rag'N'Bone Man has such a beautiful voice that it's stupid! The pre-chorus is so personal and the chorus makes me wanna cry but i don't have a soul so...
Odetta: 6 out of 10 For two slow songs in a row, I would prefer Love You Any Less more than this song. It was still really good but if this song and Love You Any Less got into a fight, Love You Any Less would kick this songs ass.
Grace: 8 out of 10 This was his show off song. He has such a pretty voice. The thing about it, we were getting so much soul, R&B and even a little bit of gospel up until now. Now we have a country-ish sounding song. I mean its not country by definition but for someone who sings like this, the guitar didn't translate so well for me.
Ego: 9 out of 10 AND HE'S BACK! This song has a great sense of metaphor and rhyme scheme. It's so cleverly written, The support was great. I didn't think this song needed a rap verse but I didn't hate it. Because of that addition of unnecessary rapping (just to fill time i guess?) I cant rate this song 10 but I will give it a 9 out of 10 because this is still a great song.
Arrow: 7 out of 10 This song is on the verge of being another filler song. The verses were pretty dope but the chorus is what is actually catchy and memorable. Not too much else to say about this song.
As You Are: 7 out of 10 I liked how the piano was actually tickling the ivories instead of giving me block chords. This was a fun sounding song. This song however sounds a lot like Be The Man and I don't like that so much.
Die Easy: 9 out of 10 Who the hell told him to do an acapella song. That really fucked me up. Rag'N'Bone Man, who hurt you? I feel like this could've used more support and still be acapella. Maybe some gospel-y ooh's in loo of instruments.
The Fire: 9 out of 10 This came right after the acapella song? Yassssssssss! I could've lived without the rap. If that wasn't there, this would be a 10 out 10 but its so good that I'm gonna rate it as pretty high.
Fade to Nothing: 4 out of 10 I didn't care for this song because the chorus was so left-field. I'm all for songs that switch it up and take you on a journey but this song didn't put me in a good mood.
Life In Her Yet: 8 out of 10 The first 10 seconds made me think this would be a rad reggae song. The melody of this song is so pretty especially in the chorus.
Your Way or the Rope: 9 out of 10 This has such a groovin' R&B vibe. Listen to the bass in this song and live. You won't regret it! I got a very disco infuence based on the rhythm of the guitar in the chorus. A good falsetto high note is always a nice touch too.
Lay My Body Down: 10 out of 10 It my initial notes I wrote down: ok arpeggios. Lol, why is he so depressed? Listen to the lyrics to this song. They are so dark! When the beat drops half way through the song, it gets even better. this is probably my second favorite. I wanna cover this! If you want to see me cover this, let me know by commenting on the album review video here!
Wolves: 9 out of 10
The backing vocals in this song is what I wanted to hear as support for Die Easy. Say for example this song didn't have any instruments. I would still be able to keep up thanks to the melody of the backing vocals. This song was dope. This was the closest to rock we got on this album. Third fave.
Heeled: 10 out of 10 This song title said it all. This song unclogged my pores. This song song cracked my back. I had a cold and this song was my NyQuil. 10 out of 10. OMG!