nathaniel ratliffe spent the better part of a decade performing and recording as a folk/americana act with little commercial success. before giving up and going back to his day job as a gardener, he switched gears and decided to put out an album with material reflecting his boyhood love of sixties soul music. stax records – the iconic r&b label that recorded legends such as otis redding and booker t and the mg’s – signed him to a record deal. he added seven musicians dubbed the ‘night sweats’. their first break occurred when they got a spot on the jimmy fallon show, where he performed ‘s.o.b’ – a tribute to his struggles with alcohol – and they became a cult favorite in 2015. as a result, the band toured relentlessly for three years, typically performing 175-200 shows a year. part of the price of success was the collapse of his marriage, but their professional career was advancing exponentially. this is their sophomore offering. although the eponymously titled debut album was basically written by rateliffe – with the musicians brought into the studio as an afterthought – this one is a much more collaborative affair. the songwriting credits are still predominantly attributed to rateliffe, but the whole band spent considerable time in a new mexico studio, working on the songs, before heading to another studio to record. it is also obvious that their overall sound and interplay reflects the time well spent on the road.

ms. redeyegin traveled to red rocks last summer to see him and came away very impressed. nathaniel adds a few tracks that are outside of the stax genre, and i am less impressed by these cuts, but overall it is a good addition to your collection.  there are a few solid contenders for your summer back deck playlist. i imagine that much of the material will sound even better in a live offering, and i suspect that if they come to your area, you will not be disappointed.