Beth Orton - 'Daybreaker' (Heavenly)
4/5
By: Toby L
It's around four and half minutes into opening number 'Paris Train' that it finally hits you just what a stunning gift Beth Orton really has. Her subtle yet completely impassioned vocals twist and turn alongside every graceful swoop and slope of the stirring strings, mirroring a female and modern-day equivalent to Morrissey, a man also capable of engineering particularly affecting droops in his voice.
Yet, it's not just Orton's singing-delivery that proves worthy of formal accolade. With 'Daybreaker', her third LP to date following 'Trailer Park' and 'Central Reservation', her songwriting has progressed even more so towards being a self-assured, understated charm to listen to, preferring formulaic consistency as opposed to random excursions up the 'Path of Muso-Arsiness', as commonly-frequented by many-a-musician these days. No - instead, her focus remains lyrics-sturdy, aided by a continual strumming of an acoustic guitar and a mid-tempo throughout.
However, very occasionally, the rules are broken - and the results are enchanting; take the trumpet-fuelled jazz-folk crossover of 'Anywhere' as an example, let alone collaborations with fellow solo-contemporary Ryan Adams, who pens the particularly moving 'This One's Gonna Bruise' and lends his gentle husk for backing-vox on a couple of numbers, including the piano-burdened recent single, 'Concrete Sky'. Even the title-track, meanwhile, proves so electronically-dosed and moody within its chorus that it wouldn't have been a shock if a latter-day Radiohead had provided the backing-track.
Though, when it's stripped down, bare and intimate, again, nothing is at fault. The country-tinged 'God Song' is particularly impacting in this respect, its 'sha-la-la' outro and contribution from Emmylou Harris serving as most absorbing, only bettered by 'Ted's Waltz' and its 'I could be your honey' sentiment - enough to make anyone want to personally befriend Orton.
With more music-genres, scenes and styles on offer these days than ever before, it's easy to get lost within just what constitutes straightforward, actual talent - yet, the simple fact remains that little can beat solo-artists possessive of such unique distinction and song-writing skills as one Beth Orton. And the fact that she improves with age is our blessing.
Artists in this article: Beth Orton
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