Artist Nathaniel Rateliff

Americana-inspired, moody folk rock is about as Colorado as it comes, and Denver-based Nathaniel Rateliff is a thundering example of that. Sometimes solo, sometimes with a rotating cast of guest musicians, today’s Rateliff is a much more somber and less atmospheric distillation of his earlier musical wanderings in Born In The Flood. Employing a lyrical weepiness, he’s effectively histrionic and heavy-hearted without coming off as disingenuous or unlikeable. And apparently all that sad-bastard musing has paid off: Rateliff (as The Wheel) was swiftly snapped up by East Coast label Rounder Records, which released last year’s stunning debut, In Memory Of Loss. Live, Rateliff delivers spine-tingling and emotionally potent numbers like “You Should’ve Seen The Other Guy” with a delicate force.

Updated 03/21/2012