Opus III

Opus III had a few hit songs in the early-’90s ambient house scene before lead vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw embarked on a successful venture later on in the decade as a freelance vocalist, working with some of dance music’s most successful artists. The group’s debut album for Atlantic, Mind Fruit (1992), featured the popular songs “It’s a Fine Day” and “I Talk to the Wind.” The group attained notoriety for merging ethereal female vocals with the ambient house sound synonymous with similar popular groups from the era like the Orb and Enigma. Also in 1992, while Opus III was experiencing their peak popularity, Hawkshaw worked with Orbital on their second album, the landmark Orbital 2. Opus III returned in 1994 with the follow-up album Guru Mother, which was a disappointment relative to the group’s promising debut album, though it did feature the single “When You Made the Mountain.” With the group’s future put on hiatus, Hawkshaw returned to session work during the late ’90s, working with producers like BT, Delerium, the Silent Poets, DJ Tiesto, and again with Orbital. ~ Jason Birchmeier