I remember the day my mom told me about Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. We were unloading groceries from the car and she was telling me about this big, bearded guy who danced like a maniac on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, inciting a standing ovation and endless praise from the host himself. I had heard of Nathaniel Rateliff as a solo musician when he played a melancholy, subdued kind of singer-songwriter music. The man clearly has musical chops, but his solo stuff severely lacked any kind of “wow” factor. However, this “wow” factor came about in a soulfully seismic way when Mr. Rateliff met the Night Sweats.
Formed in 2013, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats is an outstanding rock, soul, R&B band comprised of drummer Patrick Meese, guitarist Luke Mossman, bassist Joseph Pope III, keyboardist Mark Shusterman, trumpeter Wesley Watkins, and saxophonist Andy Wild. Leading the locomotive is lead singer and guitarist Rateliff, with his raspy yet soulful, and bellowing yet expertly controlled voice. Though they came together in 2013, the band’s self-titled debut album wasn’t released until August 21 of last year on Stax Records. As a matter of fact, I ranked Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats as the second best album of the year in my previous Odyssey article, “My Top Ten Albums of 2015;” for good reason, too.
From the first track to the last, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats make flat-out fun, energetic soul music. At first listen, it would be completely understandable to assume that the music was originally released in the 60s. Despite their deliciously retro sound, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have still found a way to remain accessible with modern crowds through unfathomable musicianship and unparalleled energy in their live shows. No song captures this talent and energy quite like that first song they played on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon: “S.O.B.”
Starting out with a stomp-clap rhythm and smooth, synchronized humming from the backing band, “S.O.B.” very quickly erupts into an explosion of charming profanity and a rowdy horn section. This is without a doubt the type of song that busts into the listener’s head and refuses to budge for at least a couple of days. Although “S.O.B.,” at its core, is about resorting to alcoholism when life hits the skids, it’s still immensely difficult not to use it as kindling to start up the good times. Other songs that fit right in with “S.O.B.” as quintessential throw-back party tunes include “I Need Never Get Old,” “Howling at Nothing,” Trying So Hard Not To Know,” and “Look It Here.” On the other end of the spectrum, Rateliff’s introspective and mellow side does linger on in the form of “Wasting Time.”
Perhaps the most polarizing song to “S.O.B.,” “Wasting Time” features a classically lonesome steel pedal slide guitar, a lilting, descending bass line and an echoing chorus all throughout. I won’t pretend to know exactly what Rateliff sings about in this one, but “Wasting Time” just strikes me as one of those songs you put on to sit back and think about whatever you want; to take stock of your life and how you spend your time. The lyrics are just thoughtful and cryptic enough so that the song can fit damn near any situation you’d like it to. Other songs that hark back to Rateliff’s acoustic, solo days include the dejected “I’ve Been Failing,” the longingly romantic “I’d Be Waiting,” and the simplistically fun “Mellow Out.”
Above all else, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats is a band that makes music fit for partying your face off, getting into a bar fight, or just holding someone you love close. Keeping the vintage sounds of legends like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and The Blues Brothers close to their hearts, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats is rapidly making a name for themselves as one of the most talented, entertaining, and underrated bands out there today. So, take my advice, and let the lightning-footed wild-man that is Nathaniel Rateliff and his band, The Night Sweats into your world. Your playlists, nay, your whole life will be all the better for it.
