Gregory Alan Isakov - That Sea, the Gambler

Long before the big festival stages, Gregory Alan Isakov made That Sea, the Gambler, a quietly gorgeous 2007 album that catches the Colorado songwriter early and unguarded.

Released on his own Suitcase Town Music label, this record introduced the poetic lyrics and hushed, weathered voice that would later win him a devoted following. It is a collection of songs about wandering, longing and the strange beauty of small moments, written by someone who clearly spent many nights under open skies, far from any city lights.

The Stable Song is the one fans hold closest, a slow, aching ballad that has followed him through his career. San Francisco carries a wistful, faraway melancholy, while the title track, That Sea, the Gambler, unfolds like a confession whispered across a bar at closing time. Salt and the Sea keeps the album's maritime imagery rolling to the shoreline.

There is no showboating anywhere on the record. Isakov leaves space around every line, trusting the quiet to do the heavy lifting, and the songs feel lived in rather than performed, like letters written to someone far away.

Literary, wind-blown and gently heartbroken, it is a lovely companion for slow evenings, and a fine place to meet him before the crowds arrived.