Sep 19, 2008  |  By: REBECCA ARMENDARIZ  | COMMENTS     

Catie Curtis, in a liner note, dedicates her latest CD to the stage manager at a local theater, who gave Curtis her first guitar for free on the condition she learn to play it.

This thankful, uplifted mood surrounds “Sweet Life,” Curtis’ ninth studio album. Her singsong vocals have a carefree, campfire lilt to them, polishing the edges of could-be-corny lyrics.

On the title track, Curtis, a lesbian, lists past loves and heartbreaks and is thankful to finally know the “Sweet Life.”

“Then there was the one in Oregon/who wanted me to be born again/so I was shown the door again/for being a heathen,” she says.

Second track “Are You Ready to Fly?” epitomizes Curtis’ brand of storyteller folk. She weaves an innocent tale of a summer come and gone over a patter of percussion and uncluttered guitar picking.

Curtis has achieved undeniable success in her 15-year career — her songs have been featured on television shows like “Desperate Housewives,” she received a GLAAD Album of the Year Award, and she also won the 2006 International Songwriting Competition grand prize for a song she penned about Hurricane Katrina.

After all of these triumphs, the time has come in Curtis’ life for an easy, positive record like this. She and her partner of 10 years, Liz, adopted two girls together, Lucy and Celia, in 2006.

“In order to stay sane and keep moving forward, you have to be able to look at all the bad news around you and still see the beauty that is there alongside the trouble,” Curtis said in a press release.
 
Her sound is Aimee Mann minus the rebellion, as she uses layered organs and resonant guitars. Her style mirrors that of Shawn Colvin in its simplicity.

The record continues with “For Now,” which starts with a twang and continues lazily with the organ, and “Happy,” a cheerful tune in which Curtis announces she’s figured out how to be carefree.

“Take the weight off your shoulders/I’ll show you how,” she sings.

The most enjoyable song on the record is “Lovely,” a jangly piano bar number that showcases Curtis’ raspy vocal talents. 

Some lyrics can get preachy, the motivational messages behind them a bit cheesy. On “Sing,” Curtis and Jon Randall Stewart create beautiful harmonies, but the words take on an over-the-top religious feel. Curtis and Stewart tell listeners to sing through the danger, the thunderstorms, the thorns and the pouring rain.

Then, surprisingly, Curtis takes on indie rock sweethearts Death Cab for Cutie in her cover of “Soul Meets Body,” a track from 2005’s “Plans.” Her take is instrumentally pared down, but boosted by her grittier vocals.

Strings only manage to peek out on the chorus of “Fools,” delightfully bulking up the album’s overarching arrangement of acoustic guitars, keys and light drums.

Curtis sings a lullaby to her daughters and an ode to Liz on “The Princess and the Mermaid.” She lists the problems that come with a long-term, committed relationship, but says that “Whatever it takes, whatever we need/I believe that we can make it, my love.”

It’s obvious through the lyrics that a person or event has directly inspired each song on this record, weaving intimacy into each track. The spark behind “Over,” the last track on the album, remains a mystery, however.

“I thought I couldn’t live without you/now we don’t get to choose/the more I say that I want to/the more I have to lose,” she sings. With every other situation on the record seeming so obvious, what could this be about?

Curtis writes albums to fit the eras of her own life. Fans who have grown with her over her 15 years of releasing albums will welcome the comfort of “Sweet Life.” New recruits will breathe easy with the album’s lighthearted unpretentiousness.