Nathaniel Rateliff - Closer

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2015 EP from singer/songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff, now on 12" 45 RPM

There aren't many folk musicians with a voice as powerful as Nathaniel Rateliff's. During quieter moments, the Denver-based singer/songwriter's baritone channels the conversational yet vivid style of Bill Callahan and Lambchop's Kurt Wagner. But when he decides to showcase his room-filling pipes, those comparisons fall short.

What happens as the decibels rise can really only be described as some sort of barbaric yawp, a passionate and cathartic yell that displays an exceptional range and stunning emotional resonance. His 2015 offering Closer EP, is an understated six-song solo effort that works mostly to sum up his career so far.

"Liverpool" begins with slowly strummed guitar chords and Rateliff cooing, "How was I to know it then?" When the line is punctuated by mood-setting harmonies, the gravity of his dilemma is better revealed. It's these small moments, the turns of phrase, the meandering, reverb-laden guitar riffs, and the empty spaces that make these songs so rich. With "Laughter," Rateliff boils this formula down to it's simplest form. Without lyrics, the track is an exercise in coming to a crescendo, with the guitars becoming more and more frantic and the hums transforming into thundering yelps. It's a pure example of how Rateliff can wrangle emotion out of wordless vocalization.

"Something Beautiful" is the closest the EP has to a lively jaunt, with it's thumping piano and full-band composition highlighting Rateliff's ability to seamlessly shift from pained to hopeful.

1. Easy

2. Something Beautiful

3. Laughter

4. Closer

5. Winded

6. Liverpool

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