“This album is the purest distillation of our sound that we’ve ever captured,” says Crystal Damore, one half of the husband/wife folk duo Ordinary Elephant. “It’s just the two of us singing and performing live, losing ourselves in each other and the songs.”
Given how raw and vulnerable the results are, it’s easy to see why the band chose to self-title their stunning new collection, which is due out May 3rd. Recorded in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, with producer/multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell (Joan Baez, Levon Helm), Ordinary Elephant showcases the arresting chemistry shared by Crystal and her husband, Pete, whose gorgeous harmonies and mesmerizing fretwork call to mind everything from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. The songs are timeless here, rooted in rich, character-driven storytelling, and the performances are similarly transportive, fueled by delicately intertwined banjo, guitar, and octave mandolin parts that wrap like vines around the duo’s captivating vocal delivery. Though the songs were born out of a period of change and deep uncertainty, the record itself is a work of profound self-assurance, one delivered by a duo whose personal and professional lives embody the limitless possibility of honest, organic collaboration. Press play on Ordinary Elephant and you’ll hear more than just a couple singing together; you’ll hear the sound of sincerity and commitment, of patience and gratitude, of learning to let go of expectation and revel in the simple beauty of the moment.
In the end, that’s what Ordinary Elephant is all about. By stripping away everything but themselves and their songs, Crystal and Pete zero in on the kind of tiny details that might otherwise go unnoticed, on the magic and the beauty hiding in plain sight. They turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for the standout track “The Prophet.” With a video that captures the quiet majesty of Louisiana’s lush landscape, the song is a charming work of harmonic folk that feels intimate and poignant. Crystal Damore’s vocals are earthy and soulful, complemented by Pete’s vocal counterparts and simple yet moving banjo. Indeed, this duo carries on a long tradition of folk couples who manage to channel their love into music that feels authentically pure.
Pete describes the inspiration behind the song:
“Crystal came across a copy of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, gifted to her by a dear friend twenty-something years ago. This song was hiding between the dog-eared pages, a discovery of self-love through returning to reminders of a love gone.”
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