Nathaniel Rateliff "Closer"

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 latest offering is the Closer EP, an understated six-song solo effort that works mostly to sum up his career so far.Opener "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. Wi