When it comes to strategy, we all know the value of playing to our strengths. Yet in a world populated by single-virtue personalities and monochrome brands things seem a little dull from time to time. So when an artist shows up with a truly broad pallet from which to paint, we queue up to sit around and watch it take shape. Enter Cathy Burton: songwriter - performer - scholar - teacher - pupil - and all the rest that you could possibly hope for. A voice that hurts as well as it heals, an attitude as honest as it is determined, an artist standing at the foot of an epic canvas, about to paint in her future. A music scholar first, Cathy’s craft has been developed over years of study. Teaching piano brought its own lessons, as did working alongside a range of artists in a range of capacities. From scoring to supporting, providing backing vocals to co-writing alongside some serious talent, Cathy’s breadth of experience has turned her into a singer-songwriter with plenty to say and plenty with of ways of saying it. Live at the Big Day OutCathy’s support duties have taken her all over Europe and into venues such as Brixton Academy, Shepherds Bush Empire and Manchester Apollo. Her co-writes have seen her seated next to the likes of Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) and Paul Statham (writer of Dido’s hit “Here With Me”). Such experience lead her to the recording and release of her debut album, “Burn Out” (2002). As titles go, it turned out be less than prophetic: sales proved that Cathy was rapidly building a core base of dedicated, intelligent fans, who lie a little less froth on their latte. What followed were further tours, supports and growth, all the time with Cathy focussed on the next project, and now “Speed Your Love” is ready, willing and able. This time the album includes some collaborations with other writers such as Ricky Ross, (Deacon Blue), Mark Kerr (Simple Minds) and Kevin Hunter, (Simple Minds/Sheryl Crow). Gig highlights of the year have included, Glastonbury Festival, La Fete de l’Espoir (Geneva), supporting Ricky Ross, Paul Carrack, Kris Kristofferson (Carling Apollo Hammersmith) and appearing at the Purcell Rooms, as part of a Kashmir Klub special event. Most of her travels at the moment remain around the UK playing crowds, anything from 50 to 25,000. And the record; It showcases a harder edged set of melodies and accompaniments, but travels in a land where melody still is the stardust, harmony the sunrise on a view crying out for fresh life. As for Speed Your Love’s inspiration, it comes from a range of sources: “it was in the oven for a year, so there’s a range of themes: falling in love, dealing with loss, seeing prodigals come home, dealing with the frustration of a compassion that is full on one day, but invisible the next.” So Cathy’s story arrives at her second album that stalks wider success with a well placed sense of determination. A range of talents suspended in perfect harmony. A future canvas whose watermark is coming through day by day.