SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS – SOUTH OF HERE

NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
SOUTH OF HERE
STAX RECORDS

When Nathaniel Rateliff cropped up on the scene some four years and three albums ago, the brilliance and assuredness were evident from the get-go. It was Rateliff’s almost impeccable all-round songwriting, intense, emotional vocals that made him stand out instantly. The first album was a solo effort, and the follow ups included his now standard band The Night Sweats.

In all of the above aspects is there any change on his latest, fourth album South of Here. Rateliff’s ever-potent combination of all things roots – from rock and Americana to Southern soul are all present, his songwriting is constantly getting stronger and the band, which consists of Nathaniel Rateliff, Luke Mossman, Joseph Pope III, Mark Shusterman, Patrick Meese, Daniel Hardaway, Jeff Dazey, and Andreas Wild, is in full form, without a single glitch to be heard.

It is a brilliant combination that has worked for Rateliff and the band before, and it only grew further here, bringing Rateliff so close to the quality of the legends that were The Band.

As Rateliff points out, “This album is a look into my own struggle with anxiety, and also stories of my life.” And it is this emotional investment into the music presented here that takes Rateliff, his music and band a few motches closer to the top.

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