Ethan Daniel Davidson’s thirteenth studio album Cordelia (due out May 30th) finds the veteran singer-songwriter exploring new creative territory while continuing down the beguiling and wondrous road that his discography has charted thus far. Cordelia is as lush and deeply felt as Davidson’s music has ever been, with countrified balladry and unvarnished blues accompanying this journeyman’s philosophical explorations and ruminations on his past, present, and future.
Cordelia follows 2022’s gorgeous Stranger, which marked both a conclusion and a new beginning after a decade-plus of fruitful creative collaboration with Warren Defever of experimental rock legends His Name Is Alive (who Davidson is continuing to collaborate with on future projects as well). “I was overdue to start all over again with a bunch of new people,” he explains. But sometimes a change of scenery is needed for a spell, and so as Davidson was armed with an array of songs he had in his arsenal largely from a COVID-era songwriting span (the aching “Your Old Key” dating back more than a decade in terms of creative conception), he reached out to producer David Katznelson for some ideas on who to work with, who in turn recommended North Mississippi Allstars frontman Luther Dickinson as the perfect co-producer alongside Katznelson.
So Davidson headed down south to link up with the North Mississippi Allstars frontman to shape the seven songs that became Cordelia—a collection that takes a left-turn from the darkly shaded textures of Stranger and was sonically inspired by Davidson’s love for the raw blues records that storied label Fat Possum were releasing in the 1090s. “I’ve always been a fan of that hill-country punk blues,” he explained. “That’s not the kind of music I do, but it always had a big impact on me, and I knew Luther would be a good guy to translate these songs and put a pretty good band together.”
Joining Davidson and Dickinson on Cordelia: bassist and Emmylou Harris collaborator Byron House, drummer Marco Giovino (Robert Plant, John Cale), and multi-instrumentalist Rayfield “Ray Ray” Holloman, who contributed pedal steel and piano across the record. “Ray Ray came out of what’s called the sacred steel tradition, which is a small culture of Black churches where the pedal steel guitar is the main instrument of worship,” Davidson explains. Obviously, being a Jewish guy, we don’t have a lot of pedal steel at the synagogue, but I’ve always liked that kind of music, and Ray Ray really brought these songs alive.”
Cordelia sounds robust and thoroughly lived-in, so the average listener might find it surprising to learn that Davidson and the band put these songs to tape within the span of three days total. “I like to work pretty quickly,” he explains. “I’ve been making records in Detroit for so long that it was great to get a fresh approach, especially in Mississippi, where a lot of my music comes from. The whole way we did this record was really quick. Working quickly allows me to maintain my relationship with the songs. I like to try to get into the studio, make the record in as quick a time as I can, and then get it out there.”
A unique perspective, for certain—and reflective of not only Cordelia but Davidson’s career as a whole thus far, which has found him on an eternal search for self as well as for the communal aspect of others. ”I write these songs because I’m trying to meet people and have real relationships,” he explains. “I want to find people with whom I share a common language. That’s what I’m interested in doing, and if music is a vehicle for that, then that’s why I continue to do it.”
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout track “Your Old Key,” an easygoing work of pedal steel-laden folk-rock that showcases Davidson’s penchant for writing thoughtful, literary-esque songs. There is a nostalgic sense of sadness to the tune but it never feels down and out. This may be Davidson’s warm, comforting tone and the nice soulful touch of keys to keep it bouncing quietly along. Ultimately, it serves as a reminder that Davidson continues to be a talented and perhaps underrated songwriter. Though the song was actually written a handful of years ago, it steel feels fresh.
Davidson describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“She was particularly talented in terms of home improvement. Probably the best carpenter I’ve ever met––was able to make doors out of a single piece of wood without warping. She was so good that she built a whole new house for herself while I was out getting the paper. I have the key, but it doesn’t work for the door anymore. I’m not even sure where the house is, actually. I made this song up on the spot as we recorded it a dozen years ago for the Silvertooth album. Sometimes these things just kind of come out of you.”
LISTEN:
