![]() He signed with Rounder Records as a solo artist and worked with producer Brian Deck (Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse) to record his introspective debut album, 2010’s In Memory of Loss. And because of that positivity along with the soulful throwback of the music, The Future is one album I've already returned back to a few times over the past couple of weeks. Before fully pursuing a solo career under his own name, Rateliff released two indie albums with the bands Born in the Flood and The Wheel. "What If I" puts these thoughts at the forefront, but Rateliff's personable optimism always comes back ("Maybe as time goes on together, we'll learn how to grow, maybe I'm all in and doubt it, maybe I'll go on without it," he sings closing the track). There's a definite uncertainty, a self-doubt, a sense of pervading insecurity that lurks in the shadows of the album. Ratelifff wrote the song with his songwriter friend Sam Cohen (Alexandra Saviors 'The Archer,' Curtis Hardings 'Our Love') and Night. It finds Rateliff reflecting on the public perception that hes 'some great survivor' when hes struggling just like everyone else. Maybe these cliche-ridden lyrics don't work for everyone, but for me, Rateliff's soulful, energized vocals (reminding me of Bob Seger) seem so sincere that they fit perfectly. This is the lead single from The Future, an album written during lockdown. The brass instrumentation on opener "The Future" sets the mood perfectly, followed up by two more pace-setting tracks-"Survivor" being an instantly-fun R&B tune with a heaping dose of swagger and the introspective "Face Down in the Moment" which rattles off platitudes. Take this new album: the fun comes from its earthy blue-eyed soul approach, and works best when Rateliff is espousing hope and a feel-good nature. Maybe that's on me, now 30-something, growing out of the need to have my pulse on the music zeitgeist.īut maybe because of that, well, Rateliff and The Night Sweats appear to be under-appreciated. His band's rollicking, well-produced roots rock seems like it should be more popular than it is, but I hear no hype for it at all. I have very little semblance of how Rateliff is perceived outside of his single "S.O.B" from The Night Sweats' debut 6 years ago.
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