Music Review
Comfort of Strangers
Beth Orton
"She's back," seems to be the conventional wisdom regarding Beth Orton's latest release.
More than a few people, myself included, found Daybreaker, her last release, a little less than satisfying - her voice sounded tired, as did the songs and the recording approach. No complaints on those fronts on her new release.
Jim O'Rourke took the helm as producer and the result is a definite change in her sound, that's for sure. The trip-hoppy elements of her William Orbit influenced days are gone and what we find instead is a more traditional singer-songwriter sound, although Orton and her wonderful voice are far from traditional. O'Rourke is a wonder, he guided Wilco through Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and helped them bust out and into whole new musical directions and explorations--he's done the same for Orton he by conducting a reversal of sorts--moving away from reliance on the artifical groove etc, and instead focused on Orton's voive and songs--it's good to hear her in this way.
"Worms" which open the album owes a debt of gratitude to both Fiona Apple and, to a lesser extent, Aimee Mann, but it is not completely derivative, nor is it indicative of the rest of the album. Beth is back, if she ever went away--and she sounds better for the rest.
More than a few people, myself included, found Daybreaker, her last release, a little less than satisfying - her voice sounded tired, as did the songs and the recording approach. No complaints on those fronts on her new release.
Jim O'Rourke took the helm as producer and the result is a definite change in her sound, that's for sure. The trip-hoppy elements of her William Orbit influenced days are gone and what we find instead is a more traditional singer-songwriter sound, although Orton and her wonderful voice are far from traditional. O'Rourke is a wonder, he guided Wilco through Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and helped them bust out and into whole new musical directions and explorations--he's done the same for Orton he by conducting a reversal of sorts--moving away from reliance on the artifical groove etc, and instead focused on Orton's voive and songs--it's good to hear her in this way.
"Worms" which open the album owes a debt of gratitude to both Fiona Apple and, to a lesser extent, Aimee Mann, but it is not completely derivative, nor is it indicative of the rest of the album. Beth is back, if she ever went away--and she sounds better for the rest.