Despite Nathaniel Rateliff's enormous success with his band the Night Sweats, it's been almost seven years since the Missouri-raised, Denver-based singer-songwriter has released a solo album.
Wednesday, January 8, he dropped the title track — the first of ten songs off his new solo record, And It's Still Alright — along with an accompanying music video, directed by Rhett Rogers.
Rateliff appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, singing his new song.
For fans of the Night Sweats' soulful bangers like "S.O.B." and "You Need Never Get Old," this first track will be a melancholy detour — but for those who enjoy his older music, it will be a delight.
"I think I always want to see hope in the darkness, and I like to try to share that,” Rateliff explains in a statement. “I always try to write from a perspective of trying to approach everything very honestly, even if it leaves me vulnerable. But overall, it’s almost like I’m a different character when I’m writing for myself.
“I think this album is a reminder that we all go through hardship, but regardless of the hardship, everything ends up where it’s supposed to," he adds. "I still continue to live, and I still continue to find joy. I think that’s the theme of the record.”
The new album, which is coming out on Stax Records, is slated to drop on February 14.
The track list includes:
1. What a Drag
2. And It’s Still Alright
3. All or Nothing
4. Expecting to Lose
5. Tonight #2
6. Mavis
7. You Need Me
8. Time Stands
9. Kissing Our Friends
10. Rush On
Rateliff has also finalized a solo tour, with the following dates:
February 1—Ann Arbor, MI—Ann Arbor Folk Festival
March 3—Minneapolis, MN—State Theatre
March 4—Minneapolis, MN—State Theatre
March 5—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theater
March 6—Chicago, IL—The Chicago Theatre
March 8—Toronto, ON—Roy Thomson Hall
March 10—Boston, MA—Orpheum Theatre
March 12—New York, NY—The Town Hall
March 13—New York, NY—The Town Hall
March 14—Washington DC—The Anthem
March 16—Pittsburgh, PA—Byham Theater
March 17—Indianapolis, IN—Old National Centre
March 19—St. Louis, MO—Stifel Theatre
March 20—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
March 21—Atlanta, GA—Tabernacle
April 2—Los Angeles, CA—The Theatre at Ace Hotel
April 3—Los Angeles, CA—The Theatre At The Ace Hotel
April 4—San Francisco, CA—Palace Of Fine Arts
April 5—San Francisco, CA—Palace Of Fine Arts
April 18—North Charleston, SC—High Water Fest
August 26—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Tickets are still available for the Red Rocks concert at AXS.
Listen to And It's Still Alright and more favorites from Westword writers on our Westword Staff Picks playlist.
Update, January 9: This story has been updated with Rateliff's performance on the Fallon show.