In the end, what could be an album of well-earned indulgence ends up being as much about reaching outward than burrowing inward, rendering deep personal suffering with a humane light touch. Similarly, “You Need Me” has an acoustic melody akin to Jackson Browne’s depressive classic “These Days,” with Rateliff singing “I’m the only one left on the sinking boat,” while still managing to salve his sentiment with a refrain of sweet “doo doo doo”s. Harry Nilsson and the Van Morrison of Astral Weeks come through as influences throughout the LP, as if Rateliff is searching for comfort in beloved bedrock sounds. The first sound we hear on the record is pretty acoustic and slide guitar, both played by Rateliff, and muted finger snaps, leading into a song about the final dissolution of his marriage delivered with admirable grace and equanimity. He often follows his dispirited heart into lovely melodic turns, as on the title track, a soft front-porch lope shaded by pedal steel and organ.

Usually, though, Rateliff is too much of an innate crowd-pleaser to let the music get too dire, even if it would be within his rights to do so.

The record’s final song “Rush On” is desolately primal Rateliff’s afflicted wail is starkly visceral, answered by banshee peels of distant guitar. At times the music can be equally despondent “Tonight #2” evokes the Leonard Cohen of Songs of Love and Hate, as Rateliff’ leavens Cohen-esque vocal cadences with his own welcoming Rocky Mountain warmth.

Nathaniel rateliff s.o.b jimmy fallon