Reviewed by Trevor Raggatt

Hummingbird are a trio of well established singer/songwriters each worthy of serious attention in their own right but, as a group, they rise even above the sum of their already accomplished parts. Cathy Burton is the believer in the trio and will be well known to Cross Rhythms readers for her three solo albums 'Burn Out', 'Speed Your Love' and 'Silvertown. Here, though, she joins forces with Amy Wadge and Edwina Hayes to produce a shimmering, harmony-laden mix of folk, pop and country reminiscent of a female Crosby, Stills & Nash. Lead vocal duties are shared equally between the three and each contributes her own songs to the project, the remainder coming from the writing/production team behind Sandi Thom's success. The album ranges across the emotions from tender and melancholy to joyous and uplifting, particular highlights being a new version of Burton's "Everybody's Fool", the meditative "There But For The Grace Of God", "Live Your Life Laughing" and title track. That said, it's genuinely difficult to single any song out above the others. Throughout the album the production is nicely organic and acoustically-based with guitar, piano, mandolin and double bass forming a perfect foil for the exquisitely blended harmony vocals. 'Tougher Than Love' may be a debut effort but the talent and experience of its members ensure that Hummingbird could make inroads into the mainstream.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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