The Mighty Orq is one of Texas’s most exceptional and hardest-working talents. Born in Houston, Orq has a sound that is as diverse and unique as his home town. His music is a blend of delta blues, bluesgrass, folk, roots and psychedelic rock. Or more succinctly, Gulf Coast Roots Music.
His name is The Mighty Orq, but he can be pretty quiet. In conversation, Orq is thoughtful, eloquent, and soft spoken––except for his laugh. His laugh is big and guttural, always promising to sweep up whoever’s listening in the joy he’s found. And it’s that wildness––that laugh––that interrupts the quiet to hint at the fierce, once-in-a-generation force The Mighty Orq actually is.
On his new album Stolen, Orq proves his exploration of roots music is still a gift to the rest of us. “I wanted to make these tunes the best I could,” Orq says, reflecting on the eight tracks that make up the new record. “Then, whatever people take away from them is totally theirs.”
Orq’s songs can be different for different listeners because he is so many things. He is bayou blues in a suit and tie. He’s gritty folk storytelling, unfurling from under an open road Stetson. He’s swampy juke joint fun, mischievous and free. He is classical virtuosity, improvised on a cigar box guitar. He is growling rock-and-roll.
Critics and audiences have known and loved Orq for decades now. Praising Orq’s 2019 release Solo at the Bugle Boy, the Houston Chronicle’s Andrew Dansby noted that Orq has “done remarkable things with a guitar,” while the Houston Press has labeled him “a living, breathing piece of Texas's musical heritage.” His fanbase is loyal, international, and always growing, thanks not just to his eight albums, but to consistent touring throughout the US and Europe.
Recorded at Edgewater Studios in Houston, Stolen marks Orq’s 9th album. The project was produced by Derek Hames and engineered by John Shelton––two of Orq's trusted and longtime friends. Drummer Chris Ardoin and bassist Mark Riddell, a pair of Orq’s most frequent collaborators, stepped in to play on the record, too. The familiarity shows. “This was the most relaxed album I’ve ever made, in terms of feeling the pressure of making a record,” he says. “I’m very much a live performer––for me, the art really is in the performance. To try and capture that sort of energy on an album is tricky. My hope is that this album does that to the best of my ability.”
The songs on Stolen manage to toe a fraught line: compelling recordings that capture a moment while also begging to be heard live. Experimentation with perspective and storytelling shapes much of the album. Two songs––“The Outlaw” and the title track––began as catchy kernels commissioned to serve as theme songs for podcasts. Orq took the nuggets he’d penned and turned them into full-length musical tales. “The Outlaw” transports listeners to the trains and thieves of the old American West through stark vignettes and thundering instrumentation. “Stolen,” which also serves as the album’s first single, is another story about a character living on life’s margins: Pretty Boy Floyd, the infamous 1930s bank robber. As Orq wraps guitar and a few banjo licks around snapshots of desperation and style, the song feels just as rooted in 21st century Houston as it does in America almost a century ago.
A rich sense of place underpins much of the album, too. “Shongaloo” sounds like its north Louisiana village namesake, vamping and sliding in all the right ways. Orq’s partner, Jamie, has family who call Shongaloo home, and the word alone was just too tempting not to put in a song. “As BB King used to say, ‘It’s a little bit fact, a little bit fiction,’” Orq says with a laugh. Moody “Heart of Darkness” praises the safe spaces that comfort without light. “Cold Hearted” is a snapshot from the past, when the right choice wasn’t the easy one.
Another standout, “Boogie Man” is an immersive achievement. Originally written by friend Benny Brasket, the track has turned psychedelic and haunting in Orq’s arrangement, as paranoia pulses through eerie guitar cries. “Man, this song my friend Benny wrote is really powerful,” Orq says. “I love the words. The more I played it, the more I started to see it reflected in what’s happening in the world. I thought, ‘Oh, this is terrifying––and timely.’”
Orq’s decision to record “If I Had a Boat” will thrill anyone who’s ever heard him deliver the Lyle Lovett classic live. Tender, whimsical, and defiant, Orq’s version soars. Another album highlight, “Suspended” proves once again that Orq’s poetry is in his playing. The instrumental track is dynamic and riveting. “I love all kinds of music, but instrumental music has always made the most sense to me,” he says. “An instrumental song can contain a story arc with a beginning, middle, and end. It’s an emotional experience.”
Ultimately, what’s most inspiring about Stolen is the proof it offers that Orq is stubbornly––beautifully––doing things his way. “I’m an independent artist, so I don’t have to fit neatly here or there,” he says. “I like a lot of stuff and I want to play it all.” Orq laughs, then adds, “There’s a freedom here, if I just let it be.” - Elisabeth C. Parks
