Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
The Future
(Stax Records)
4/5
It’s been six years since we first heard “S.O.B.” on the radio, and it seems that Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats have lived down the “one-hit wonder” label. After the release of their third LP, The Future, it’s clear that the band is getting better as they go, which says a lot, as their self-titled debut went platinum in Canada alone.
Like their previous work, Rateliff and company continue to offer up a retro soul sound but The Future is more experimental and breaks the formula heard on previous LPs.
Lyrically, Rateliff reaches a new level on The Future, particularly on the title track, which is hard to believe wasn’t written by Bob Dylan.
The Future is a very good album. The soulful grooves and infectious rhythms familiar from earlier work are still at the forefront, but the product is more introspective and thoughtful. Rateliff digs deeper lyrically and accurately captures these strange times we’re in.