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Artists M-O |
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Beth Orton - Central Reservation |
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ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
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Beth Orton’s Trailer Park was justly celebrated as a one of 1997’s top releases. With Central Reservation, Orton delivers another CD that puts the pop charts to shame. Among the highlights are the gorgeous “Sweetest Decline,” a languid piano and strings track that reminds me of the best from Carole King’s Tapestry; “So Much More,” a quiet, serene look at the passage of time; and the first of two versions of the title track, which showcases Orton’s ability to deliver a truly sexy ballad. It’s so easy to get lost in the sound of Orton’s voice that you sometimes lose the words she’s singing, and it’s a real drawback that lyrics aren’t included in the liner notes. To me, the first six tracks build wonderfully. For fans of Trailer Park, the music is closer to “Sugar Boy” and “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” than “She Cries Your Name.” I could have done without the forced electronics of “Stars Seem to Weep,” and the second version of “Central Reservation” (from the Then Again soundtrack), which recasts the lyric to a dance beat. But Beth Orton doesn’t make music for discos. Hers is the music of winter nights by the fire, with poetry and red wine. PIGEONHOLE: Brit singer-songwriter meets jangle-pop.
Ken Gilland |
BETH ORTON
