Gregory Alan Isakov

Whatever size room he’s playing, there’s something about Gregory Alan Isakov’s voice — which feels like not much more than a whisper at times — and his engaging songs that demand attention. He creates an unmistakable intimacy with both. Recorded over the past year and a half on analog gear and mixed to tape, The Weatherman captures the familiarity and rawness of his live shows. Jamie Mefford’s lush, reverb-laden production makes some of the cuts — like the gorgeous opener, “Amsterdam,” “Second Chances” and the buoyant “Living Proof” — feel more expansive than those on Isakov’s previous two full-lengths, while “She Always Takes It Back” proves that he can also craft a lovely ballad. Bob Dylan once sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” and you don’t need to be a singer-songwriter to realize that Isakov has created something truly stunning here.