In Savannah, Georgia, folks don't hustle along the wide sidewalks that skirt the city's rectangular parks; folks here glide. Maybe it's the heat of the air or the grace of its citizens. Either way, there's no rush in rush hour. Rather, it's elegant hour.

A few hours up the road in Columbia, South Carolina, there's a gang that very well could be the house band for this city of slow-motion commutes. Columbia certainly must share Savannah's smoldering elegance. How else do you explain the Verna Cannon? Valium-infused rock creeps forth from Movie Star Faces, but this is no shoe-gazing narcotic. These cuts entwine the listener with seductive violin lines and exquisite vocals that tug on the soul instead of smothering it like so many slowcore cousins. Reminiscent of the Velvet Underground, Cowboy Junkies and next-state-up neighbors June, this outfit has mastered the slow burn. Vocalist Molly Ledford is irresistible, her sultry style so vulnerable that it almost makes one blush. I dare say there aren't too many things sweeter than being wrapped up in her voice.

Though all cuts here are original, the band apparently goes for carefully-selected covers in its live shows. The Velvets, Hank Williams and Nina Simone all find a new voice in the Verna Cannon. It's not a stretch to assume all these artists would be mighty pleased with the treatment they receive from Molly and her friends, for even the band's original songs resonate like classic covers. The minor chord tunes impart a delicious depression without relying on the impenetrable morass of effects and overdubs that often mar a good mope. Like kindred spirit Victoria Williams, the Verna Cannon is smart enough to keep the songs simple and the effects absent. Tunes this poignant and elegant don't need window dressing.