NATHANIEL RATELIFF & [Cassette] (ONLINE ORDER ONLY)

After issuing their self-titled debut album in 2015, Colorado's indie roots rock and soul outfit Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats have worked the road hard. They've played from coast to coast and beyond. Their debut achieved gold status -- something quite rare in the digital age (especially for a first outing). In addition, their singles "S.O.B." "I Need Never Get Old," and "Look It Here" have all received massive airplay and streaming. This EP is what happens when a band has to have something new to sell while on the road and doesn't have enough time to cut a proper follow-up album.
A Little Something More From is an eight-track stopgap. As such, it's pretty much a fans-only affair. The first three tunes were recorded in a Colorado living room and produced by drummer Patrick Meese. All are studio versions of concert favorites, including the horn-drenched rave-up "Parlor," the Little Willie John-esque fingerpopper "I Did It," and the soul review-styled second version of "Out on the Weekend" (sequenced first). The live version of "Wasting Time" was cut at the Stax Soul Museum by Sirius XM. This tune has an intro and middle eight that comes uncomfortably close to the Band's "The Weight," while the melody adds up to what Jackson Browne's "These Days" would sound like arranged for horns and a stronger singer. "What I Need" is a B-side from the Howling at Nothing EP -- and sounds like it. The Richard Swift-produced "Just to Talk to You" is a solo acoustic blues that harkens back to Rateliff's years as a solo singer/songwriter with Rounder. He obviously likes Lightnin' Hopkins. The set closer is "Late Night Party (Out on the Weekend, Version I)," a slow, intimate, stripped-down shuffler; it's like the demo version of its earlier counterpart. If you're an eager follower of Rateliff & the Night Sweats, you may need this; for the rest of us, waiting to see what album two holds may be more prudent. ~ Thom Jurek

• Format: Cassette
• Genre: Rock and Pop