Watch Randy Houser Sing ‘What Whiskey Does’ in New ‘Magnolia’ Movie
When Randy Houser releases his new album Magnolia early next year, he’ll do so with a companion film inspired by the songs and themes of the unfussy, vocal-forward LP. Also titled Magnolia, the short dramatic film follows a man and woman struggling to navigate a complicated relationship and features Houser in a bit part — as the singing bartender of a roadhouse bar.
“Much of the album’s theme is someone running from something and running to something, even if they don’t know what they are running towards at the time,” Houser said in a statement. “And this film captures that.”
On Wednesday, Rolling Stone Country premiered a clip of Houser performing a full version of Magnolia‘s lead single “What Whiskey Does” in the film, which was directed by Justin Nolan Key and shot at locations around Louisiana, Tennessee and Houser’s native Mississippi.
Magnolia the album is a departure for Houser — or a return to form, for those who have followed the singer’s career since 2008’s Anything Goes — stripping away the gloss and production of past radio-ready albums like How Country Feels and Fired Up and evoking the bluesy sound of 2010’s They Call Me Cadillac. Magnolia will be released January 11th via Stoney Creek Records.