Alecia Elliott casts a magical spell in her first outing for MCA Nashville, deftly weaving youthful exuberance with a soulful maturity. Her breathy, throaty voice can be alternately smoldering and sultry or playfully breezy, reminiscent, at various times, of Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride or Tanya Tucker.

Elliott, born in Shoals, Ala. in 1982, has already toured Europe and has played numerous U. S. concert venues and music festivals. She’s opened for such artists as Pam Tillis, Loretta Lynn, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lari White, Collin Raye, Joe Diffie, and Wade Hayes. In addition, this talented newcomer has her first Opry performance behind her - an appearance at the inaugural concert for Tennessee governor Don Sundquist in 1995.

Elliott’s first CD, I’m Diggin It was produced by Tony Brown and Jeff Teague and contains 11 songs, two of which were co-written by Elliott herself. The wistful, wondering, “I’m Waiting for You” and the sassy “You Wanna What?”

The first cut on the album, “Some People Fall, Some People Fly,” is a great introduction to Elliott’s vocals and overall style. Written by Matraca Berg and Randy Scruggs (and recorded previously by Berg), the song’s rich imagery captures the thrill of falling in love. Elliott tackles societal ills with sophisticated anguish in a melancholy number by Stephanie Bentley, “I Don’t Understand,” then slips into full-blown teenage angst with the album’s title cut (and first single release), “I’m Diggin It.”

The standout number on the album is the final song, “Some Say I’m Running.” It’s bare-bones, no-frills production gives listeners a real taste of the purity and power in Elliott’s voice. Her vocals dip and soar as she convincingly communicates both world-weariness and eternal hope.

This newcomer has maturity, depth and an undeniably evocative voice, all of which should assure her a bright future in country music.

Mountain West Music 2002