While too many artists these days patronizingly try to copy their peers, nobody actually goes to the source itself. While James Houlahan might not evoke the name recognition of others, his instinct and passionate take on folk is one to behold. On his new LP, Ordinary Eye, Houlahan features Lou Reed / Fiona Apple drummerDanny Frankel and violinist Scarlet Rivera, the timeless fiddler on Bob Dylan’s classic 1976 album Desire and was part of the infamous Rolling Thunder Revue tour.
Produced by longtime collaborator Fernando Perdomo, the album was recorded at L.A.’s Reseda Ranch Studios during the weeks leading up to America’s Covid-19 quarantine. This context adds new gravity to Houlahan’s music, while the A-list studio band—including drummer Frankel (Lou Reed, Fiona Apple, Nels Cline), violinist Rivera (Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue) and vocalist Esther Clark—fulfill this fully realized effort.
Glide is premiering the video for the hush landscaped folk of “On My Own,” which showcases Houlahan’s crafty songwriting styling that is a mix between the introspectively daring sounds of Bill Callahan, Greg Brown, and Will Oldham.