Elliott Peck cut her teeth playing blues, soul, country and other forms of traditional American music in the Bay Area, regularly appearing at Terrapin Crossroads, performing with Grahame Lesh in their roots band Midnight North, and working with Phil Lesh and his close collaborators Bob Weir and Jackie Greene. On her solo debut, Peck focuses in on her own original compositions, along with astute covers of Lucinda Williams’ “I Lost It” and The Trishas’ “Give It Away.” Yet, her tunes sound like standards even on first encounter, thanks in large part to Peck’s emphatic vocals and melodies that resonate with absolute authenticity and assurance. “River’s Path,” “Good for You I Guess” and “One of Those Days” sound both timeless and tenacious, flush with tattered emotions and steadfast determination. The album’s high points are marked by two of its soulful, stirring ballads, “Out Sailing” and “Hard Lines,” each providing proof that, even early on, Peck is the absolute equal of other artists mining the broad Americana terrain—Emmylou Harris, Williams, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin included. While credit is due to her supporting players, including several jam-scene heavyweights, Peck remains the album’s focal point and, as stirring as any initial outing in recent memory, Further From the Storm brings her that much closer to the ultimate acclaim that she so decidedly deserves.