Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are Nathaniel Rateliff, Joseph Pope III, Patrick Meese, Mark Shusterman, Luke Mossman, Andy Wild, and Wesley Watkins. If this is what redemption sounds like, then sign me up! Instead, it’s a celebration of life and its lessons. But in the altar of his institution, there is no confession nor grieving. It’s as if he has opened up his own church where he is the pastor giving the sermon. Yet on Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Rateliff takes us on a heart-racing, body-moving, and soul-searching journey from the very first to the very last note on the album. Throughout his two previous solo albums and the lone record with the Wheel, Rateliff’s music has focused on perseverance, never one to be remorseful nor wallowing in self-pity. There, he embarked on a solo career, crafting songs that were a blend of serene folk-pop in the same style as Sam Beam (a.k.a.
#REDEMPTION LYRICS NATHANIEL RATELIFF HOW TO#
Born into a devoutly religious family in rural Missouri, the self-taught multi-instrumentalist (learned drums at 7 years old and took up the guitar at 13 after his mother showed him how to play three chords) moved to Denver at the age 19. The direction taken shouldn’t be a surprise for those familiar with Rateliff’s solo work and history.
With a ’50s-inspired soul and R&B vibe, Rateliff sweetly sings:
It is, however, on “Thank You” where Rateliff’s search of redemption approaches its zenith. “Shake” emphatically turns the table, where on this soulful, R&B tune, Rateliff is the entity from whom forgiveness is being sought. Whether he’s seeking atonement from a loved one or a higher order is unclear. On “Look It Here”, there is desperation in Rateliff’s voice, as he begs for forgiveness for his mistakes. As such, he’s the one who forgives or seeks forgiveness and takes dire circumstances and turns them into something positive. This is reflected in the smooth, soul tune “I’ve Been Failing”, where in one breath Rateliff sings, “I’ve been failing you”, and the next he says, “I can’t stop trying”. Instead, he accepts responsibility and part of the blame for the events that have passed and the mistakes that have been made. In addition, similar to what Timothy Showalter ( Strand of Oaks) did on the powerful Heal, Rateliff isn’t pointing fingers. For instance, the knee-slapping, barn-burning “S.O.B” speaks to the power of addiction while the raucous opener “I Need Never Get Old” and the soulful “Trying So Hard Not to Know” tell stories of infidelity but in a way that is euphoric. Sure, the album contains songs that could be considered defeatist and regretful lyrically, but Rateliff & The Night Sweats tell these stories through music that is cool, vibrant, and positive. Their music just isn’t intended to move you physically and have you dancing, as Fallon exclaimed in introducing the band, but at the heart of their self-titled debut album is a long trek towards redemption. While so many artists may focus on the darkness that overcame them or to use music as the medium to express their anger, regret, and disappointment, frontman Nathaniel Rateliff goes in a different direction. There is more to Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats than their scintillating performance The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon that had even the affable host gushing over them.
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