Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – South of Here

Today’s modern alt-country has a tricky relationship with the mainstream, as the whole definition of ‘alt’ country is that it ain’t today’s mainstream country. This can lead it to shy away from both obvious emotion and the more fun side of life. Yet that’s exactly what Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats embrace so well on South of Here.

This is not a record of intricate backwoods, but rather channeling the bigger seventies country-rock that we’ve enjoyed for a half-century. “David and Goliath” opens South nicely with some building alt-country/rock, and from there Rateliff & his Sweats go for the earned, well-worn emotion, such as on the following “Heartless”. He can strip down like with “Center of Me”, but the heart of Here is his uplift, like on the plea “Cars in the Desert”, horns-led penultimate celebration “Call Me (Whatever You Like)”, and great exuberant finish “Time Makes Fools of Us All”.

Instead of critiquing alt-country to make sure that it is ‘alt’ enough, enjoy when its artists embrace who they are and what the love, like Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats do on South of Here.