Written by: Alex Green

There’s such a plaintive ache to Tawny Ellis’ delivery, it’s as though the ghosts of country music’s past have mutually agreed to reside in her voice.

A native of Georgia, Ellis is as pure of a singer as they come and she rolls through each of the numbers on her new EP Ghosts Of The Low Country: The Muscle Shoals Sessions with authority and grace.

Flanked by her husband Gio Loria along with Sean Dunn and Patrick Ferguson–on loan from the Athens outfit Five Eight–Ellis and her band soar mightily through these four numbers, evincing the kind of rootsy precision that brings to mind everyone from Patty Griffin to Patsy Cline. The title track is a sheer five-minute swoon, while “Evolve Or Die” is a spirited shuffle that showcases Ellis’ skills on the lap steel.

The dobro-flecked “Desperate Tonight” is a soulful ballad that’s wrenching and exquisite, while the cover of “Walkin’ After Midnight” effortlessly summons the darkness of the night and the searchlight of broken heart.