‘In Memory of Loss’ is an album that makes a striking impression from the opening strains of ‘Once in a Great While’ that starts off with Rateliff’s deep voice and the gentle open spaces of the backing instrumentation. This song evokes memories of Greg Brown and Cohen, and triggers a 13 song sequence that explores the full range of the Americana genre – the whole album manages to sound fresh and relevant while evoking some of the classic artists from the genre, so while there are elements of Springsteen, Dylan, James Taylor and much more, he retains a distinct voice and sensibility.
He uses dynamics particularly effectively, there’s lots of space in the recording that gives the chance for his vocals to take centre stage, and the variety in his delivery makes a bigger impact than it would if it were fighting for space amongst a crowded sonic backing. Despite the light touch evident in the arrangements, he utilises a full band that comprises of guitar, bass, violin, cello, piano and drums – there may be plenty of space around the backing, but what they do play is perfectly suited to Rateliff’s lyrics that are both thoughtful and candid. The disc is beautifully produced by Brian Deck (Josh Ritter, Iron & Wine), and much like he’s done previously with Ritter, he manages to bridge the gap between classic Americana and a modern approach.
The whole album gels together perfectly as a collection of songs, and there are some strong standout tracks including ‘Whimper and Wail’, ‘Once in a Great While’ and ‘A Lamb on the Stone’, all three of these tracks perfectly sum up the range and depth on the disc,
This is a disc that deserves a place in any Americana / singer-songwriter collection, it’s beautifully written and performed, and is an album that proudly shows its roots and influences, while still retaining a distinct identity. Unreservedly recommended.
Track listing
1 Once in a Great While
2 Early Spring Till
3 We Never Win
4 Brakeman
5 Longing and Losing
6 Oil & Lavender
7 Shroud
8 You Should've Seen the Other Guy
9 Whimper and Wail
10 Boil & Fight
11 When We Could
12 A Lamb on the Stone
13 When You're Here
14 Happy Just to Be
