*** ALECIA ELLIOTT, “I’m Diggin’ It,” MCA Nashville

In the let’s-play-dress-up photos in the CD booklet with her debut album, this Alabama native looks every bit the spunky 17-year-old she is. But the minute Elliott opens her mouth, she exhibits a depth that’s blind to the date on her birth certificate.

The prime example is “I Don’t Understand,” a song by Stephanie Bentley and Adrienne and Keith Follese in which Elliott brings out every nuance of its questioning of the real world’s uglier realities.

It’s one of several songs here in which she opts for emotional exploration over the quick and easy Nashville formulas. Elliott taps the celebrated soulfulness of her Muscle Shoals birthplace in the sultry country rocker “Ain’t No Ordinary Love” and in the exuberantly funky title tune.

Her voice, especially in its lower register, has a duskiness reminiscent of former teen wonder Tanya Tucker, but Elliott resists the temptation to over-emote, typically the dead giveaway of a musical tenderfoot.

She even co-wrote two songs--the disarmingly romantic ballad “I’m Waiting for You” and a rocker, “You Wanna What?,” that expresses an assured sense of self.

Move over, LeAnn.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.

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* Excerpts from Guy’s “Guy III” and other releases are available on the World Wide Web. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips