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Central Reservation  >>

Is Beth Orton the folkie Beck? Or is Beck an Orton with beats? Since both graze from genre to genre like goats feasting on whatever strikes their fancy, drawing parallels is tempting ... and perhaps pointless. After all, both artists were born in 1970 and emerged at a time when musical categorisation became an exercise in futility. English thrush Orton's third release--like her critically hailed debut and the Best Bit EP--prompts one to flash on an ever-swelling range of influences. Since she's blessed with the rich, warm voice of a true pop singer, it's easy to imagine her sharing space on some out-of-time radio playlist with Dusty Springfield (listen to the elegant, string-laden "Sweetest Decline"), except Orton's music draws on 1990s trip-hop elements as well the jazzy folk of Tim Buckley and vet Terry Callier (reprising his Best Bit cameo). Orchestration, upright bass, vibes and Orton's own resolute guitar give long, languid tracks such as "So Much More" and "Pass in Time" an Astral Weeks-like feel. All those touchstones and no fewer than six producers might imply that Central Reservation is something of a mishmash. In truth, Orton's overriding vision is all that's needed to create cohesion. --Steven Stolder

Trailer Park  >>

Having collaborated with such dance acts as Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers, singer-songwriter Beth Orton is sometimes regarded as a young folky hitching a ride on the electronica bandwagon. On Trailer Park, however, she harks back to a lost Seventies tradition whose exponents included Traffic, Tim Buckley and especially John Martyn, all of whom worked in a hazy interface between jazz, blues and folk. Fleshed out with multiple layers of vibes, strings and keyboards, Trailer Park is at once a soul-searching and sensual album, with Orton's flat-edged and indistinct lyrics often seeming to melt in her own mouth. Only "Sweetest Decline", featuring Dr John on keyboards seems slightly twee. Otherwise on the likes of "Couldn't Cause Me Harm" and "Feel To Believe", the pleasures and pains of love are conveyed so tangibly it almost hurts. --David Stubbs

Comfort Of Strangers (Ltd Ed)  >>

Few vocalists equal the expressive subtlety of Beth Orton, whose fourth album is both her most musically spare and artistically complex to date. Not only does the production and backing by Jim O'Rourke (known for his work with Sonic Youth and Wilco) capture Orton's vocal style at its most unstudied and unvarnished, the lack of embellishment focuses all the more attention on her songwriting. From the jazzy phrasing on the deceptively jaunty "Worms" through the haunting "Feral" and the amazing grace of the closing, hymnlike "Pieces of Sky," Orton's songs give voice to the sort of knotty, prickly emotions that are as hard to define as they are deeply felt. Most of the musical dynamic features piano or guitar over an elemental, insistent rhythm section, making the coloring of an occasional string section ("Conceived"), harmonica ("Absinthe"), or accordion ("Safe in Your Arms") all the more striking. As an indication of the emotional range of this musical minimalism, the title cut is soothing enough to please fans of Norah Jones, while "Heartlandstruckstop" is as edgy as Patti Smith. --Don McLeese

Best Bit EP  >>

Best Bit isn't the revelation its predecessor, Trailer Park, was. With that eye-opening debut, Beth Orton was marked as an uncommonly promising newcomer; Best Bit represents a rest stop between records. That said, the five-song EP is of value, if for no other reason than it unites the Londoner with American folk-soul stylist Terry Callier, who duets with Orton on his own "Lean on Me", as well as a cover of Fred Neil's "Dolphins". Having collaborated with such dance acts as Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers, singer-songwriter Beth Orton is sometimes regarded as a young folky hitching a ride on the electronica bandwagon. On Trailer Park, however, she harks back to a lost 1970s tradition whose exponents included Traffic, Tim Buckley interface between jazz, blues and folk. Fleshed out with multiple layers of vibes, strings and keyboards, Trailer Park is at once a soul-searching and sensual album, with Orton's flat-edged and indistinct lyrics often seeming to melt in her own mouth. --Steven Stolder

Stolen Car  >>

Central Reservation  >>

Someone's Daughter  >>

Touch Me With Your Love  >>

Stolen Car  >>

She Cries Your Name  >>