![]() ![]() There’s going to be a lot of talk of authenticity here, and why not start with the Night Sweats’ most recent US TV appearance where Jimmy Fallon excitedly promoted the appearance throughout the show, before almost combusting right before the actual performance. In a search for authenticity, his decision to be (finally) true to himself has paid off big time. and the Night Sweats record is a true representation of Nathaniel Rateliff now it’s no longer dressed up in solo singer-songwriter clothes. Eschewing the grit and acoustics for a rich, horn and key-heavy sound, whether it’s the riotous jam of “S.O.B.” or the languid and soulful closing track “Mellow Out” this feels like a comfortable record for Denverite Rateliff to have made. Yet it does, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats feels realer than anything the singer has given us in the past. ![]() All of his folk albums are masterfully written and while I am glad he’s getting more attention with the Night Sweats, I wish more people paid attention to that early stuff.Was this the same man, now 36-years-old, who just a few years ago gave us the grim Falling Faster Than You Can Run, an album dealing in booze, loss and sadness and mainly played by Rateliff himself? It was hard to believe this music – the sound of Stax, the Memphis Horns, countless R&B and soul acts – came from the same place, the same person. One of the lines has him yelling with a desperation that gives me chills: “I could go backwards forever/ I could be boxed inside and living without/ well don’t blow my cover/ It’s taken years to make a beautiful shroud”. That’s not to say there aren’t songs on his early records in which he uses his powerful howl: one of the best songs on the record, Shroud, has him practically screaming the whole time. It’s quieter and more vulnerable, which partners quite well with his simple, yet beautiful instrumentation. Again, his voice shines through, but in a different way than it does with the Night Sweats. Turning to older material, Nathaniel’s second album, In Memory of Loss, is one of my favourite albums of all time. His howling combined with the musical prowess of the Night Sweats makes this an album you simply cannot ignore. He is able to bellow with such power, yet still manage to keep a kind of sweet gruffness in his voice. This man has a god-given talent, that much is clear. Probably the most obvious strength of the album is Nathaniel Rateliff’s absolutely killer vocals. The band formed in 2013, and released their self titled album earlier this year, which I have the pleasure of writing about today. Thankfully for all of us, he decided to try one more thing and switch from folk to an Otis Redding, Sam Cooke style doo-wop. Despite being one of the best singer-songwriters of his generation, Nathaniel was struggling to stay afloat. The thirty-six year old singer has been a musician for all of his adult life, and was until now performing primarily as a solo singer-songwriter. The success of the Night Sweats is great for the world in general, but it’s especially welcome for Nathaniel Rateliff himself. ![]() Just try and blast it without feeling those foot-tapping urges. The song is pure, emotional and overall electrifying. Their song S.O.B has over four million plays on spotify, and it absolutely deserves them. The group, fronted by the larger than life voice of Nathaniel Rateliff, has been reaching the top of the charts, performing on Jimmy Fallon and even receiving high praise from music legend Questlove. If you listen to some good radio, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. ![]()
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