Well festival time in Edinburgh is drawing to a close and Hazel is coming to the end of a ten night sell out run. Hazel has been performing at the Claremont Bar in Edinburgh every night and twice on Saturdays, accompanied by Cormac DeBarra on harp and Mario N'Goma on percussion.

    The show did not merely consist of Hazel belting out a lot of old numbers. The show took the form a autobiography, from her early family memories right up to the present day, played out with series small skits aided by Cormac and Mario and punctuated with some classic songs form 'Breaking Glass', along with a few new numbers.

    The fact that the only backing was provided by harp and percussion gave the old song a fresh new light. Also when you consider the 'Breaking Glass' came 20 years ago now Hazel's vocal talent certainly hasn't tarnished with the passing of 2 decades.

    The fact that the show was a sell out was probably due in at least some part to the fact that the  show was awarded 'FIVE STARS' in the Scotsman. As a result, the two women sitting next to me, had no idea who Hazel and Breaking Glass were. Having said that one was sitting wiping tears from her eyes as Hazel recounted some of the sadder moments from her life. But the same pair leapt to there feet applauding madly at the end of the show and were one of the fist in line to buy the new CD.

    AAAh, so we come to the new CD, 'BEYOND THE BREAKING GLASS'. The CD contains 4 reworked versions of old 'Breaking Glass' classics with 7 tracks new to me.

'Still Breathing' and 'Beyond The Breaking Glass' are two tracks that appear to give a swift two fingers to everybody and everything who have tried hold her down and screw her over, through the years.

'Scamaill' is a song sung part in english and part Gallic (if only i could understand Gallic).

'Driftwood' is a song written about 16 years when as she  says ' no one would touch me with a barge pole ' and was repeatedly told to come back when she 'had a single' .

'Rebecca' is about the sad loss of her close friend and hairdresser who stood by her and offered support during Hazel's low points.

'Thinkin' about you' is about being far from home when all you want is to be back there.

'Blackwater side' is i think a traditional irish song.