Tearing at the Seams

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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 Van Morrison -- but the impressive thing about Tearing at the Seams is how he and his band seem to be synthesizing their clear influences into their own voice. That's why Tearing at the Seams 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 /TiVo