Like swaying in a well-worn hammock under the breezy stars, listening to Laura Gibson sing is to be gently transported. Her voice harkens back to an era of sepia-toned photographs and 78rpm records... as if early 20th-century Western pioneer crooners bottled themselves like mellow whiskey and poured it straight into her soul.

She comes by her old-timey, porch-swing folk sound honestly. Growing up in a tiny logging town near the Oregon coast, she made her way to a solid musical presence in Portland first via nursing home and kindergarten concerts, eventually seeking out a recording opportunity with Adam Selzer (of Norfolk & Western) at Portland's Typefoundry Studios. Released in 2006, her first album, If You Come To Greet Me, is the perfect marriage of Laura's spare songwriting and tasteful accompaniment by N&W.

I first heard Laura Gibson on a local radio station, and I was riveted. Her music is as honest as it gets. Her songs manage to convey both human frailty and hard-won strength in one fell swoop, with stunning delicacy and emotional sophistication. Like the gentle plinking of an old music box, her nylon-string guitar provides just the right support for her spun-honey alto. And the songs themselves have an airiness that belies their bittersweet longing and depth. They transcend genre to encapsulate the fragility of life itself.

Though it's best to let each song speak for itself, Nightwatch captures the exquisite craft of her songwriting well: "Sometimes I see life as a worn out photograph / And memories are silent films I'll play from time to time / I would conjure up your words and draw them from your lips / as if the words could bring me back / They say that love can bring you back / bring you back to life."

Fans of Jolie Holland, Cat Power, Lucinda Williams, Rosie Thomas, Regina Spektor, Karen Dalton, Erin McKeown, Alela Diane, Emiliana Torrini and Tanya Donnelly will swoon.

Additional Tracks:
Hands In Pockets
Small Town Parade