Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts

November 17, 2015 by BOB BOILEN Nathaniel Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats are on fire, with concerts that get feet moving and bodies swaying, fueled by rhythm and booze. It wasn’t always this way: In the past, Rateliff would be more easily described as a folk artist. When I saw him recently at a sold-out Sunday-night show in D.C., he expressed intense gratitude for the new audience that’s found him. Much of that new crowd has embraced the big-band R&B of his new album, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, which was produced by Richard Swift and released on the legendary Stax Records. The record and its songs embrace not only Southern soul, but also the rockier side of soul made famous by Irish singer Van Morrison. Here at the Tiny Desk, Rateliff’s body-shaking tunes take on a slightly more laid-back sound, served with a warm heart and suitable for a cold beer.