Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats – South of Here
Amongst singers in the Americana genre, Nathaniel Rateliff has always ranked as one of the most expressive and soulful since he and his band the Night Sweats first burst on the national scene in 2015 with their eponymous release Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats.
On their fourth studio album South Of Here, released on June 28th, the listener will find Rateliff as soulful as ever as he and the Night Sweats deliver 11 songs about love, loss, heartbreak, and the everyday struggles of life in general. While Rateliff and his band’s 2021’s release The Future was inspired by the effects that Covid had upon us as individuals and a society and how we had to try to move forward from all of it, South of Here also finds Nathaniel and his mates in a reflective mood albeit more so about the interpersonal relationships that define and shape our entire lives from childhood to adulthood. Similarly like The Future it is overall a positive record with a clear- eyed and hard fought optimism born out of the pressures and experiences of our common existence.
Highlights of this potent and spirited effort include “Heartless”, “Remember When I Was A Dancer,” “Get Used To The Night,” “Call Me (Whatever You Like)” and “Time Makes Fools Of Us All.”
There is always an understated tension in Rateliff and his band’s songs that always tends to come to the surface with the extraordinary passion and intensity of his voice and the selections on this album continue that tradition. It’s part of what makes their songs both distinctive and exhilarating for the listener to hear. It’s no wonder that Rateliff and his Night Sweats have become one of the premier live acts across all genres because their songs, like all great soul based songs, are tailor made to be performed live. The songs on South Of Here will all be worthy additions to Rateliff and his band’s frenetic and emotionally powerful shows.
South of Here by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats was produced by Brad Cook and is now available on the band’s website.
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Nathaniel Rateliff “What If I”
