Sunbirds

★★★

Cool To Be Kind NECTAR. CD/DL

Former Housemartins and Beautiful South co-singer Dave Hemingway’s new band.

Even Paul Heaton took time to blossom after The Beautiful South split and it’s been more difficult still for Dave Hemingway, co-singer of A Little Time and many others, but rarely a co-writer. He’s an infrequent songwriter on Cool

To Be Kind too, but his voice – if Glenn Tilbrook were northern – remains appealingly conversational. Sunbirds are at their best when their distinctly British take on Americana evokes Choke-era Beautiful South, whether Hemingway is singing of the Humber Estuary on Meet You On The Northside, duetting with Laura Wilcockson on Holiday Monday or namechecking Gary Lineker in the countrified Gene Kelly. They lack Heaton’s wordplay and covert anger, and the occasional grungy guitar solo jars rather than enhances, but there’s real warmth to spare; Jack Parnell’s son Marc adds jazzy drums and the closing Stars Still Shine is as bitter as it is beautiful. John Aizlewood