For his second full-length studio album singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd went back to his roots and dabbles in both nostalgia, heartbreak and beyond. And the results are utterly mesmerizing. Midwestern Rock + Roll is not a country album.

Aside from Hurd’s country croon there’s not much there that identifies with classic 80s and 90s country (a la Zach Top, etc) but these days country music embraces and welcomes all genres to co-mingle. The title track is a hard-hitting slab of guitar-driven roots-rock a la Lucero, The Gaslight Anthem, Two Cow Garage, etc. The lyrics tell an autobiographical tale of growing up cold in the Midwest and making mistakes and chasing you love and pursuing a love of music. Fans of Petty, Mellancamp and the like will find a lot to like here. But truth be told the entire album is a gem.

Whether he’s contemplating his own mortality in the plaintive and near-perfect “Funerals” or meeting his idol Paul McCartney in the tour-de-force “Paul.” there’s something deeply intoxicating about the entire album. Hurd who divorced from wife Maren Morris two years ago doesn’t spend the entire album lamenting, though the radio-ready “Single in the Same Town” does address his newfound loneliness.

While “Paul.” loosely embraces his formerly glamorous life, nowhere is that more direct than on the sweetly affecting “This Party Sucks.” In it Hurd pines for a quieter life and one eschew of celebrity and glitz. Given that his life post-Maren is decidedly more low-key it’s a fitting selection on an album that does very little wrong. If the album has a central moment it’s the fist-raising anthem “Die For It.” Open-hearted, arena-ready and fierce it’s a reminder that Hurd is a hopeless romantic and will continue to follow his muses wherever they take him.

Being that Midwestern Rock + Roll is his first release in four years might be a harbinger of things to come. While married to Morris, Hurd kept his solo career quiet and worked on being a father and husband. With the dissolution of the marriage it will now be interesting to see his next steps forward. In the meantime, give yourself 45 minutes and turn up your speakres and enjoy an album that’s as refreshing and invigorating as just about anything else out there. 4 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend.