THE normally refined surroundings of Ramsbottom Civic Hall were transformed into a sweltering, honky tonk with an audience cheering wildly and a band loving every minute of being up on stage.

Eve Selis charmed, teased and basically stunned a packed house with two sets which combined country, Americana and good old fashioned rock and roll.

The show was the last night of a 12-date UK tour and the San Diego-based singer was clearly determined to make the most of it before heading back home.

Eve Selis is one of those singers who once you have seen live you will definitely want to go and see again - and leave you questioning why on earth she's not a bigger star.

Her voice is a thing of beauty, capable of conveying the emotion of heartfelt ballads and hard driving rockers with equal ease.

Her new album See Me With Your Heart provided the bulk of the material for the evening's entertainment - and demonstrated that it's probably the best of a career which has already produced eight other albums.

The poignant The Man He Never Was, written about Eve's relationship with her father, left the singer visibly moved - you can imagine how the audience was.

This was an evening which reaffirmed your belief in the power of music to evoke emotions and to entertain

Eve's cracking band added to the fun. Her long-time guitarist Mark 'Twang' Intravaia treated us to some phenomenal solos - a cover of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues gave him free reign to show his incredible musicianship.

Bassist Rick Nash and drummer Larry Grano provided a rock-like foundation with Grano contributing excellent harmonies to some of the more West Coast numbers.

This was just a fun, fine evening with a singer who deserves a much wider audience. Next time she's over here just go and see her - I guarantee you won't be disappointed.