Who can blame
Nathaniel Rateliff
for not wanting to mess with success? After chipping away as a singer/songwriter, he decided to make himself into a 21st century answer to
Van Morrison
for the 2015 album where he unveiled his soul revue,
the Night Sweats
. He scored a hit -- "S.O.B." climbed up the rock charts and stayed there -- and the group toured hard, eventually finding the time to write and record material for a second album. Released two and years after their debut,
Tearing at the Seams
feels very much like a record worked out on the road. It's filled with high-octane grooves and gritty vamps, punctuated by the occasional moment of acoustic reflection. Often, the vibe trumps the songs, which is actually not much of a problem.
The Night Sweats
know how to re-create classic soul sounds -- they're very heavily indebted to
Stax
and
Muscle Shoals
-- but they can also slyly update the sounds, a tendency
Richard Swift
accentuates with his smooth, seamless production.
Swift
occasionally gives the record a bit of a high-gloss sheen -- "You Worry Me" features echoing guitars that wouldn't be out of place on a new wave record -- but he usually shines a light on the hard-working band, who are there to support
Rateliff
. At times, he can push his influences a little hard -- "Hey Mama" is essentially a mash note to
-- but the impressive thing about
is how he and his band seem to be synthesizing their clear influences into their own voice. That's why
works, even if it doesn't have a song as undeniable as "S.O.B.": listening to it, it's evident that
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
are in it for the long haul. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine