And It's Still Alright＜Coke Bottle Green Vinyl/完全生産限定盤＞

ナサニエル・レイトリフ、約7年ぶりとなるソロ第三弾!

2017年あたりから、元々The Night Sweats名義のセカンド・アルバムのつもりで書き始めた楽曲が、自身の離婚、また自身のソロ・プロジェクトについての一番の理解者であり、サポートし続けてくれていた最も近しいバンド・メンバー(Richard Swift)の闘病と死により、よりパーソナルなプロジェクトに発展していったという。「誰もが何らかの苦境に直面して、それを乗り越えるのだろうけど、その先にあるものは変わらず存在する」というメッセージが込められた作品。
LP、Coke Bottle Greenカラーの完全生産限定盤!

By the time Nathaniel Rateliff reinvented himself as the fiery retro-soul dynamo behind the 2015 hit S.O.B., hed already spent well over a decade plying his trade as a sort of journeyman songwriter, first fronting a popular Denver-based roots rock band, then releasing a handful of earnest acoustic solo albums during the early-2010s indie folk boom without gaining much traction. With the help of friend and producer Richard Swift, Rateliff re-emerged fronting a tight soul combo called the Night Sweats, significantly upping his fun factor and finally earning some of the success that had previously eluded him. Two raucous albums, thousands of road miles, and one divorce later, hes back to solo work on the ruminative 2020 set And Its Still Alright. Already reeling from the disintegration of his relationship, the sudden death of Swift caused Rateliff to take a few steps back from the chaos of the previous few years and reexamine his whereabouts. Both a poignant tribute to his friend and former collaborator and a weary meditation on love and death, And Its Still Alright cuts a curious balance between tender introspection and a playful sense of confidence hes carried over from the Night Sweats era. Of the former, tracks like Time Stands and the title cut play as expected given Rateliffs personal circumstances; both are wounded paeans to loss and love wrapped in a woolen blanket of gentle and familiar Americana. Tonally, they recall his last solo record, 2013s Falling Faster Than You Can Run, and feel like somewhat of a retreat. Far more interesting are standouts All or Nothing, Expecting to Lose, and Tonight #2 -- a stellar trio grouped together in the albums front half that melds some of the singers Night Sweats swagger with the poetic savvy of early-70s Harry Nilsson and Leonard Cohen albums. With its lilting string section and dreamy celeste chimes, the excellent All or Nothing in particular swings with an unexpected dose of whimsy, while the rousing and bluesy Expecting to Lose is easily the catchiest offering here. Similar to those three tracks is low-key opener What a Drag, whose easy shuffle is propped up by a beguiling melody and a nifty little slide guitar riff, one of several instances where Rateliff shows off some of his prowess as an instrumentalist. While And Its Still Alright is nearly worth it for those four tracks alone, the quieter folk-based songs have their place, too, and provide the contrast that better reflects lifes ups and downs. ~ Timothy Monger