Rag’n’Bone Man Rory Graham had an emotional moment on Graham Norton’s marmalade couch recently when he revealed his new album, What Do You Believe In?, was partially informed by his experience of “trying to tell my kids about the loss of my mum”.
The tears that streaked his tattooed cheeks were a moving intrusion of genuine human feelings into the saccharine universe of the modern chat show. So it’s a shame the same rawness does not come through in his actual music, which, for all its sincerity and warmth, hangs in a suspended animation of congealed pop slickness.
A former Ivor Novello and Brit Award winner, Graham has carved out a niche as a radio-friendly bluesman with hits such as 2016’s “Human”: he’s a sort of Jack White meets Lewis Capaldi, or a less messianic Hozier. His not-so-secret weapon is his deep, punchy voice: the East Sussex native could sing Elon Musk’s social media feed and make it sound thoughtful and introspective.
But on What Do You Believe In? he buffs up those vocals with so much studio polish that you can almost see your reflection staring back. Graham is in such a rush to make you like him that he does a disservice to his songs. Opening track “The Right Way” pairs a sitar with lyrics that explore the challenge of raising your kids (“there’s only one thing I know for sure… there’s no such thing as the right way”) but then overdoes it with lashings of gloopy piano.
He goes on to address his mother’s death on the lilting, horn-splashed “Pocket”, an anthemic mid-tempo single with a big “nah-nah” chorus (and the song that directly prompted the tears on Graham Norton), and wonders about the meaning of life on title track “What Do You Believe In?” – a meditative lament sadly backed by an anonymous groove.
The hopes and fears that Rag’n’ Bone Man wrestles with are authentic and universal. But the strength of those feelings is undermined by formulaic soul-pop. On Graham Norton, Rory Graham was a man full of hurt trying to navigate an uncaring world. He works hard at communicating those waves of emotion on a record that is full of humanity and generosity but which too often gets stuck in the shallows.
Stream: “Pocket”, “What Do You Believe In?”
