Shallow Honey – “Ordinary Men”
Rising Egyptian-American musician Michael Isaak is preparing to release his debut album The Carpet Maker. The project explores his diasporic identity, blending his Egyptian heritage with his American upbringing through a distinctive sound he calls “Arabesque Folk.”
For the New York-based artist, the album represents a new creative chapter—one shaped by reconnecting with his cultural roots and rediscovering the music that shaped his early life.
Cultural Roots
The Carpet Maker tells the story of Isaak’s personal journey from cultural distance to a deeper understanding of his Egyptian identity.
The album began to take shape following a trip to Egypt in 2023, an experience that Isaak describes as transformative.
“I began to go back and listen to all of the Arabic music from my childhood and reconnect with my culture. When I was back at home, I’d sit at the TV with my dad almost every night, and he would show me a different piece of music — Fairouz’s Andalusyat; the Bombotaya, a traditional folkloric song and dance from my dad’s hometown Port Said, Egypt; many pieces from Umm Kulthum, the most beloved and prolific singer from the Arab world.”
Inspired by this rediscovery, Isaak revisited the music of legendary Arab artists such as Fairuz and Umm Kulthum while developing the album’s sonic direction.
Arabesque Folk Sound
Musically, The Carpet Maker blends guitar-driven folk songwriting with traditional Arabic instrumentation.
A central element of the album’s sound is the Arabic oud, which became a guiding instrument throughout the recording process. Isaak even learned to play the instrument while writing the album.
Working alongside Iranian oud player Sohail, he also incorporated Arabic modal systems known as Maqams, allowing him to create a musical language that bridges traditional Middle Eastern sounds with contemporary folk influences.
Each track on The Carpet Maker reflects a different dimension of Isaak’s exploration of heritage, memory, and belonging.
The title track, “The Carpet Maker,” was the first song written for the album. It imagines an alternate life in which Isaak’s family never left Egypt. Inspired by memories of his grandparents weaving rugs and singing folk songs, the piece expands into deeper reflections on identity and family history.
The album’s lead single, “Hold Your Keys,” explores themes of displacement and resilience. The song uses a house key as a symbol of hope passed down through generations within diasporic communities.
Isaak also reinterprets “Eastern Rain” by Joni Mitchell, reshaping the song through Arabic musical traditions and infusing it with his own cultural perspective.
Together, these songs form a cohesive narrative about identity shaped by distance, culture, and time.
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