Ryan Curtis’s gravelly voice will almost certainly remind you of your favorite Americana Dude. His songs of road dogging, hard living, and heartbreak are skillfully executed and stand up to the best of them. Where It Ain’t Easy stands out is the Idahoan’s breadth and depth of genre and subject.
The album kicks off with funk slow burner “Can’t Take Back.” Curtis’ band slips into the song’s sly groove like ducks to water. Curtis’ thunderous rumble spins a tale of heartbreak, but it sure doesn’t seem like he regrets it. That crafty disconnect is a thread throughout the album: “I Love This City” asks us what happens when you’re in love with a place even though the things you love about it are long gone.
Curtis shows his more vulnerable side on “Codependent Heart,” as piercing a breakup song as I ever heard. Channeling some high lonesome Gin Blossoms, Curtis leverages his world-weary tone for a real heartbreaker. Reflecting on his perpetual fuckups, Curtis approaches them with a sense of hope — maybe things will be better tomorrow. We’ve all been there, and Curtis’ rueful optimism is compelling.
It Ain’t Easy shines on paths less-traveled. “Wasted Energy” finds Curtis at peace, and learning to let go of toxic emotions. For all of the album’s grit and focus on life’s low points, “Wasted Energy” is a surprising case study on how to write a convincingly happy song — that also rocks. “Drunk Tank” and “Cactus and Cocaine” prove Curtis’ Southern Rock credentials. Curtis and his band work hard and play hard, undoubtedly, and that hard work shows in their fluid playing and confidence as they experiment with a wide array of sounds. Curtis seems to mostly be touring Idaho for now, but he’s someone to keep an eye on for sure.