Otis Gibbs

With his gravelly, road-worn voice, Indianapolis-based singer-songwriter Otis Gibbs is reminiscent of rough hewn vocalists like Steve Earle and Centro-Matic’s Will Johnson. And like those mentioned, he isn’t afraid to speak his mind in his songs either. One Day Our Whispers finds Gibbs accompanying Earle as one of the US’s best left wing songwriters, unafraid to name-check the U.S. Attorney General ("Big Brother John”) as easily as Cesar Chavez ("The People’s Day”). Featuring guest appearances such as former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer on select album tracks, Gibbs has assembled a first-rate supporting cast to help properly highlight the magic in his songs, which he modestly refers to in the album’s biography as a collection of songs of "everyday people.” If his perspective is to make songs that the working man can relate to, he’s done that in a way that’s as enjoyable to listen to as it is thought-provoking.