FROM the opening notes of the Louvin Brothers Every Time You Leave it was clear that this was going to be a special evening.

The harmonies sent tingles running though the audience as sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer demonstrated an almost telepathic ability to transform a song.

The show was part of their first UK tour together - each is a hugely successful artist in their own right - and the question has to be what took them so long?

Last year they recorded their first album together - Not Dark Yet - and it formed the basis of their compelling 90 minute set.

Backed by guitar, bass and drums, the instruments were in the main kept deliberately understated allowing those fabulous voices to shine through.

You can tell the sisters are close. They walked on stage hand in hand and throughout the show would exchange knowing smiles as the songs went down a storm.

The way they would swap harmonies and exchange lead vocals was a thing of true beauty. There was one false start on Merle Haggard's Silver Wings which led to a minor, good natured disagreement as to who was supposed to be singing the lead vocal but that apart it was glorious harmonies all the way.

Not Dark Yet is basically a covers album but many stray from the country/Americana genre you might expect.

Nick Cave's Into My Arms was just beautiful and an astonishing version of Nirvana's Lithium was transformed into a Gothic nightmare imbued with a scary beauty as their two voices sent chills through the room.

The only original song on the album, Is It Too Much, written about the tragic incident when their father killed their mother before turning the gun on himself when they were teenagers was as emotional as you would expect.

The setlist then turned into a love song for their native Alabama with a series of songs they have each written over the years about growing up and their relationship.

The highlight was an astonishing version on Moorer's Thunderstorm/Hurricane which built to a devastating vocal crescendo.

The Stoller Hall, Manchester's newest concert venue, will hear many a beautiful sound over the years but the twin vocals of Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer will take some beating.