New songs for September 16th 2024

 here they are:


"Call Me (Whatever You Like)" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats:  Why wasn't this the first single from Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats' newest album?! I mean "Heartless" wasn't a bad choice, but my fave Nathaniel songs are the ones where he lets out his inner soul man, and his latest song, "Call Me (Whatever You Like)," ranks among them! The song starts with a gritty, country-rock acoustic guitar strum before launching into a tune that imitates vintage soul music, complete with a kickin' horn section! This is definitely not the forlorn song "Heartless" was. There even a few choice swear words in this song to serve as a way for Nathaniel to tell us just how ticked off he feels! There's even an electric guitar solo in this song, a rarity for NRATNS!! If the title alone wasn't enough of an indicator that Nathaniel means business in this song, I dunno what is! 


"Driver" by Soccer Mommy:  Yet another band going from sensitive and heartfelt to gritty and rockin'! Soccer Mommy's last single, "Lost," was a bittersweet song lamenting the loss of a loved one. "Driver" is a more grungy, lo-fi influenced song, although its subject is not a negative one. It's actually about falling in love with someone who accepts you, quirks and all, for who you are. The riff and sound of the song would indicate something more moody, but I guess you can't always judge a book by its cover!


"I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)" by Sting:  Built around an A major blues-rock riff that wouldn't sound too out of place in the Stones or Zeppelin catalog, "I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)" is an interesting song for the former Police frontman, for a few reasons. First of all, though the instrumentation is good in this song, his voice seems to show signs of aging. It's a bit more hoarse than it usually is. Back to the instruments in the song, though, Sting seems to now be doing what fellow new wave rocker Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders has done in a few of her more recent releases: go from an adult contemporary sound to a more back-to-basics classic rock sound. Sting's 2016 song, "I Can't Stop Thinking About You," was one of the most rocking songs he had in a long time! He took on an anthemic U2-ish sound for that one. "I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)" isn't near as powerful, but he does seem to be trying to leap from New Age back to new wave (well...kinda) on this one. The New Age influence does creep in a little during the chorus, but for the most part, "I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart)" is a basic but fun rock song. 




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