The fine line between contemplation and navel gazing has always been a difficult balancing act to achieve, but here Nathanial Rateliff, ably backed by the soulful Night Sweats on their fourth studio album, does so without the use of a safety net.
And that this collective of musicians does so by breathing new life into established formats is to be applauded. With a lineage that stretches back to the cosmic Celtic soul of Van Morrison, Rateliff’s storytelling confronts his own doubts and perceived shortcomings
The rollicking David And Goliath grows in stature with the band pumping up as Rateliffe sings ‘The sun can’t shine for me every day’ with the realisation that good times come with the bad.
The barroom waltz of the title track looks to a brighter future, while the yearning Remember I Was A Dancer is a reconciliation with the past that results in blue-eyed soul for grown-ups.
