Seraphina Lotkhamnga on October 3rd, 2013

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From the moment Matthew Houck, who has now recorded six albums under the moniker Phosphorescent, walked onto stage in his classiest cowboy getup, it was clear Tuesday night was going to be a special night at the El Rey Theatre. Touring in support of his latest record, “Muchacho,” Houck dove head-first into a 90-minute set that bathed the room with such sincerity the chandeliers above even seemed to have an honest glow.

• ||| Photos by Carl Pocket

Backed by a six-piece band, Houck set the night’s tone with the rollicking lament titled “The Quotidian Beasts,” and without pause, slipped right into “Terror In the Canyon.” It was only after the pedal-steel and keyboard-centric ballad “Down To Go,” that Houck tipped his white cowboy hat to welcome everyone to the show: “Los Angeles, how you all doin’?” Smiling to a crowd that was sending whistles, whoops and applause his way, he continued, “This is a delight. This is a beautiful place with all the beautiful people.”

It was hard to argue. Whatever Houck delivered, old song or new, sounded like it came straight from a night spent with the best bottle of whiskey. Stripped from any pretense, this Phosphorescent set of songs revealed the ups and downs Huock has had with his career and love life. As he repeatedly asked “Have you had enough?” in “Tell Me Baby” (off 2010’s “Here’s To Taking It Easy”), it was easy to fall deep into the story of a boy who was pleading with his lover. But Houck’s songs also suggested that vulnerability doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s a lovesick weakling. As the synths in “Song For Zula” rose and crashed down like waves, the Brooklyn-via-Athens, Ga., songwriter also defiantly sang “See honey / I am not some broken thing / I do not lay here in the dark / waiting for thee.” Sometimes Houck’s phrasing provided more truth than the melody, especially when his vocals would cut off mid-note.

Houck picked it up with “Ride On / Right On” and immersed himself in rich harmonies (and a wicked guitar solo) courtesy of his band mates during “Nothing Was Stolen.” These last two numbers would have made for a perfect Phosphorescent closing, except when Houck and his crew walked off stage afterward, it was only 30 minutes into the show.

Of course, the night wasn’t over just yet, and the crowd rejoiced in Huock’s return to the stage. What caught them by surprise was that the next 30 minutes would feature Houck solo. Stripping songs down to only a keyboard for “Muchacho’s Tune” and a guitar for his cover of John Prine’s “Far From Me,” he beckoned fans into the intimate portion of Phosphorescent’s set. Not that intimacy meant quietude – “Cocaine Lights” ended with a wailing, dense looping of dissonant vocals and guitar riffs, which sounded like catharsis personified. “Wolves” was delivered on a tamer level with its melancholic lyrics.

But that wasn’t the end. Although some may have left during the solo set, the true encore had yet to come. Houck returned with his backing band and put an exclamation point on the night with the triumphant “At Death, A Proclamation” and one he dedicated to the crowd, “Los Angeles.”

Copenhagen’s Indians preceded the night.