Create a Free Account with The Current
  • Like and save music to a playlist
  • Get recommendations for new music you'll love
  • Save stories, podcasts, and more for later
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol
Already have an account?
Please Log In
Forgot Password?
Don't have an account?
Need to confirm an account?

Reset Password

Check your email for the confirmation code

The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now
  • The Current
    Great Music
    Lives Here.
    Listener-Supported Music
    Donate Now
Donate Now
Volume Button
Volume
00:00
0
listen
[0]
The Current
PlaylistSchedule
Donate
Reviews

Album of the Week: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, 'Tearing at the Seams'

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, 'Tearing at the Seams'
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, 'Tearing at the Seams'Courtesy of Stax
  Play Now [1:01]

Like this?

Log in to share your opinion with The Current and add it to your profile.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this song! We have added it to a personal playlist for you.

by Bill DeVille

April 06, 2018

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have a great story: Rateliff almost quit music prior to his make or break debut with the Night Sweats. Then the band that most had never heard of struck it big with the song "S.O.B." They took their show on the road and found plenty of fans embracing their sweaty full-tilt shows.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have returned with the long awaited, much anticipated second album called 'Tearing At the Seams'. I am happy to say that there is no "sophomore slump" here. No "S.O.B.," no problem!

After three years of heavy touring, Rateliff and company are now a road tested unit, you can hear it in their sound. They unleash on the album's first track, "Shoe Boot," which pops like an old R&B 45. You'll be sucked in immediately by the funky grooves on this one, which gives the Night Sweats horns and smoldering organ plenty of room to shine, and they do! You'll be sucked in all over again on "Intro," which would be the first track on side 2 of the vinyl and the midway point on the CD or streaming service.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats record on the label Stax, who issued some amazing soul classics in the 60's and 70's. That sounds like a match made in heaven, and they mine that sound on "Be There," which chugs along in that old Stax style.

I hear a bit of Van Morrison on the smooth, "A Little Honey" and on the soulful closer "Tearing at the Seams," when he sings, "It's tearing at the seams of all that's been/They're gonna have to drag us away" which might leave you wiping a tear from your eye. This guy has soul.

Rateliff delivers the vocals with gusto and grit throughout. He even shows a hint of gospel on the song, "Babe I Know," which features Lucius. He shows a more personal side on "Hey Mama," which appears to be kind of conversation with his aging mother. A song about not giving up, which might be Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' mantra.

Resources

Nathaniel Rateliff - Official Site

Related

  • Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats perform in The Current studio (2015)
  • Being a Night Sweat is no sweat for local trombone player who fills in at Rock the Garden
  • Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats captivate at Northrop
  • Album of the Week: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats