Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats return one more time, with feeling

It’s that distinctive coupling of heart and spirit that Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats tap into once again here, to capture the very essence of soul stirringly and purely. This time round though, their sound, a free-spirited form of blues-rock-tinged retro soul, feels filled out, like there’s more meat on the bones. The band sounds brawnier and better, crisper and tighter, instruments played with a gusto and zeal that completely absorbs.

The loose boisterous moments, like “Shoe Boot” and “Intro”, groove harder with more stomp, and ooze more attitude. The breezy uplifting moments, like “Say It Louder”, “Be There”, and “Coolin’ Out”, reach new heights, buoyantly wafting on brass and piano, brighter and more effervescent. The tender serene moments, like “Hey Mama”, “Babe I Know”, and “Still Out There Running”, tug even more intimately on heartstrings, organs whirring warmly, the vocal harmonies sumptuous. And in amongst it all, an “all cried out” Rateliff shines, putting every fibre of his being into “finding a better way”, his honeyed, gravelly voice recalling soul greats like Cooke and Redding.

With Tearing at the Seams, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have distillated the ups and downs life throws at you into a vibrant collection of many-hued vignettes; some make you smile, some make you well up, and some make for the ideal accompaniment to good ol’ sauced-up revelry. Whatever the case, they’ll all make you feel that thing inside you. Soul.