Supplementing the rich melodic qualities of her work, friend and fellow powerhouse singer, Sue Newberry, joined Ellis as each song permitted, adding spark to each well-written original’s fuel.

Beginning with one of Hero’s highlights, “Rust,” two complementary voices rose as one, entwining themselves around this elegant melody, accompanied by Ellis’ elementary 6-string acoustic guitar. With MM adding additional vocal support and Devin contributing guitar, “I’ll Do Anything” proved slightly reminiscent of Lisa Loeb, vocally, Ellis regularly injecting her warm approach to balladry with subtle pop touches.

Singing solo, her “Cosmic Cowboy” revealed a comparatively harder edge to her vocal approach, slightly overriding the song’s original vulnerability. Leading a singalong with “Be My Girl,” forced her to slightly exaggerate her parts in an effort to spur on the audience, costing this delicate original some of its intimate charm.

Yet, all was quickly redeemed with “River” – an earthy, hypnotic song from Hero which builds slowly, revealing the rich range of Ellis’ voice, its exuberant, catchy chorus transforming the song into something falling midway between southern gospel and an African tribal chant.