THIS could have been great – and it very nearly is. A long, low rumble has gathered around Rory Graham, aka Rag’n’Bone Man, thanks to the righteous title track of his debut album.

He does have a rising bellow of a voice, a mellifluous rock that rolls through the wounded landscape of that already omnipresent song.

On the Graham Norton sofa last Friday night, the singer looked huge and shy and instantly likeable. His album is instantly likeable, too, although Human is the best song on it. Three other tracks are almost as good – Be The Man, Ego and As You Are – but after that there is too much of the sort of soul filler to be found almost anywhere.

Rag’n’Bone Man is the freshly minted winner of a Brits Critics’ Choice award, and whether that’s an honour or an encumbrance is yet to be seen.

This debut album suggests a true and quirky talent lost in too much production. The nice touches, the hand claps and the gospel chants, work well but are swamped by just too much of everything. It is hard not to worry that a more interesting album is hiding inside this over-iced slab of soul cake.

A shame, as Rag’n’Bone Man has a belter of a voice and should be a talent to savour, as shown by the unaccompanied blues hymn of Die Easy that closes the album. Somewhere along the way, too many people have become involved in pushing this admirably human man into the limelight.

Review by Spencer Taylor