The songs on Laura Warshauer’s 2008 self-titled, debut album may seem filled with a sense of longing, regret and loss, an attempt to hold onto happy memories and let go of painful ones, but they are also shot through with an overriding hopeful spirit at their core. The 24-year-old native of the North Jersey town of Fair Haven has been writing songs since she was 14. She began hanging out at the now-defunct Sony Music Studios with Rich Keller (DMX, Lyfe Jennings) , who took the fledgling singer-songwriter under his wing after hearing her play and ended up producing her debut album. After an early acoustic indie release, Warshauer’s major label bow includes such flourishes as her own electric guitar as well synthesizers, swelling strings and vocal choirs, but maintains its focus on a voice that evokes such story-tellers and lyricists as Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Tori Amos.