A soulful siren born and raised in Houston, Texas, Mabilene weaves lush tales of love, heartache, and self-discovery in her Jordan Lehning-produced debut The Other Side. Born out of the ashes of her former folk band The Battlefield, the album reflects the many facets of Nashville – equally rooted in modern orchestral Americana and retro country-pop. Effortlessly beautiful vocals, recalling Linda Ronstadt at one turn, Margo Price at the next, take center stage in the 10-song collection, set to exquisite strings and boosted by an expert rhythm section.
Paying tribute to the past while sounding fresh and modern isn’t an easy task for a songwriter, yet Mabilene and band manage to do so flawlessly on The Other Side, thanks largely to the steady yet innovative hand of Lehning, whose production credits also include Rodney Crowell, Jessie Baylin, Andrew Combs, and Elise Davis. As Mabilene recalls, working with Lehning was a dream that seamlessly came to fruition after she contacted him upon hearing his work on Lydia Luce’s sublime album, Azalea. “With Jordan, there wasn’t a lot of ego present,” she says, describing the recording process at his “The Duck” studio in East Nashville as experimental and playful, with Lehning serving as a “mad scientist” of sorts, nurturing Mabilene’s ideas and expanding on them with unexpected yet meticulously placed flourishes such as oboe (played by Grace Woodworth) and French horn (Jennifer Kummer). “I think that’s why my music sounds like it does,” Mabilene notes, crediting Jordan’s deliberate touches, along with her own fondness for the Wrecking Crew collective of musicians who contributed to a multitude of hits in the 60s and 70s.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
Lou Reed – Walk On the Wild Side. That strolling groove and slowly unfolding arrangement immediately transport me to another time and place. It always makes me stop and listen in awe. I spent my 20s in New York and the song profoundly captures the underground magic, artistic energy and feeling of freedom that seekers have long been drawn towards. It melted my brain when I learned that David Bowie & Mick Ronson produced the track. Pure magic.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
When writing on my own, they arrive simultaneously; often as medicine. Thoughts will be spinning in my head, and what I’m experiencing will clarify into music. It’s like a player in my mind gets turned on, and I’ll hear strands of a song playing over and over. I’ll sing it on repeat until I can get to my phone and record the idea into voice memos. Sometimes it’s just a line and sometimes I’ll hear an entire verse or chorus all at once. California is a great example. I’d been living in Los Angeles for years. My community was in LA. My band was in LA. But I’d felt a tug in my heart for months. Every time I’d come home after spending time on the road, we would drive into the city, and I’d begin to feel my world getting smaller and smaller. As we entered the concrete jungle, everything would start to feel claustrophobic. A city that had energized me in the past was now draining. And yet, it was hard to make a break. One autumn day as I was walking my dog, I started singing “It’s time to leave you California. Pack up my foxhole in L.A….” It flowed out, with the exception of the bridge, start to finish. The time had come. I packed up and left a few weeks later.
Do you have any go-to albums to listen to in the van?
It changes, but I’ve found that on every long run, I tend to latch onto an album that brings me peace. There are times when it’s just way too much energy in the van, and I’ll need a world that I can escape to all on my own. So I guess, I have touchstone albums. I put in my earbuds, hit play, and drift away. Two that immediately come to mind are John Paul White Beulah and Erin Rae and the Meanwhiles Soon Enough. I’ve spent a lot of time in deep dives with those records. If I’m really struggling, I’ll put on some neuroacoustic therapy like the music of Dr. Jeffrey Thompson.
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
BARRY MANILOW. I was three years old. I remember glowing sound, a white, extraordinarily bedazzled suit, and lots of colorful lights. For my first couple decades of life, I assumed this outing was the work of my parents. But when I brought it up to my mother in young adulthood, I was swiftty and sternly corrected. Apparently, I was the only Barry Manilow fan in the house, and when I heard on the radio that he was coming to Houston to play the Summit (what used to be our arena and is now a megachurch), I was determined to attend. My parents weren’t about to take a 3 year old to a Barry Manilow concert, but I was unrelenting and wore them down.
Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
Yola Stand for Myself has been on repeat since the day it was released. It’s absolutely incredible; in my opinion, the best of the best when it comes to writing and production. I could fangirl over “Diamond Studded Shoes” all day long. I would love to work with every single person involved in making that record. The joy and power that Yola brings to her message in this present moment is immensely inspiring.
The Other Side is available on all streaming services.