April Jazz, Soul & Blues Record of the Month - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - Tearing at the Seams (Double vinyl, 180-gram)

You may not know it, but we almost never had a Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats to groove with! In 2015, just before his first single "S.O.B." hit #1 on the US AAA Chart, Rateliff was prepared to hang it all up and return to his previous career as a gardener. The group's self-titled first album, released in June of 2015 on legendary Memphis soul label Stax Records, propelled them into the spotlight, solidifying Rateliff's decision to stick with writing music. 

Based in Denver, Colorado, the Missouri-born Rateliff has been carving out his own destiny in the local scene since 2002. Originally performing under the moniker Born in the Flood, the singer songwriter began honing his craft very early on, playing bars and festivals around Denver, eventually releasing his first album in 2007, If This Thing Should Spill. Roadrunner Records offered to sign the group, though Rateliff declined, deciding to refocus on his sound and songwriting, changing the project's name to "Nathaniel Rateliff and the Wheel." He released one album entitled Desire and Dissolving Men in 2007 with friend and frequent-collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Joseph Pope III. 

As the project began to evolve and expand with new members added, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats was born. Featuring Pope III on bass, Luke Mossman (guitar), Patrick Meese (drums), Mark Shusterman (keys), Scott Frock (trumpet), Jeff Dazey and Andreas Wild (saxophone), the Night Sweats fill a tour bus and then some! 

The new record from Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats entitled Tearing at the Seams was released last month on March 9th. It's an excellent example of modern soul and r&b paired with Rateliff and Co.'s ability to craft the perfect hook inside a song!

B.T.R.C. - Rudy Newman

We've chosen Tearing at the Seams as our Jazz, Soul, & Blues Record of the Month for April. The album is pressed on 180-gram double vinyl and it comes with a digital download.

What critics are saying about Tearing at the Seams

"Unsurprisingly, Rateliff doubles down on roadhouse retro for Tearing at the Seams, his second album with the Night Sweats, which arrives after a quickie EP and a live album. Reflecting the Night Sweats' relentless touring since their breakthrough, tracks like the largely instrumental shuffle "Shoe Boot" are punchier than anything on their debut, jacked up by swelling organs and the band's plump horn section."

David Browne - Rolling Stone "Review: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Bring Retro-Soul on Second LP"