From downbeat to curtain call, Hilary Watson holds her audience in the nook of her arm as she swings, soars, and saunters through every song. She knows exactly where she wants to go and how she wants to get there, and she routinely gathers listeners together as they file in alongside her for a musical pilgrimage focused on the ride rather than the destination. The refined ease that permeates her sound speaks to a process that inspects the work from every angle, and the end product uses that thoughtful foundation to stretch and bloom in the way that only live music can. Her dynamic repertoire can set off in any direction while continuously maintaining a sweet spot of comfort and shared confidence that resonates in the pure joy radiating from the performer herself. Someone encountering music for the first time would know exactly what to do at a Hilary Watson show as she is fluent in the unspoken language that keeps us flocking together to share these magical musical experiences. We arrive, we listen, we feel, and in the end, we come to know each other.

Ben Bellizzi, For The Folks Music