Comfort of Strangers by Beth Orton

Comfort of Strangers

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Comfort of Strangers

Features

Audio CD (February 7, 2006)

Number of Discs: 1

Label: Astralwerks / Emd

Reader Reviews
Beth's new album pretty much as all the other reviewers, including the amazon.com review say it is. It's minimalistic folk music, that highlights Beth's vocal prowess and songwriting talent. If you need dubby, downbeat electronic trip/hop beats and ambient sounds to make Beth work, then fine, but for me, the heart of Beth Orton songs have always been those two things - her voice and her words. I love her live acoustic perfomances and live radio performances. Her voice is so expressive - it is her biggest asset - not her engineering, even if it was somewhat pioneering. As for the tracks, there are none that I dislike, but there are some standouts, mostly at the end. Worms is worth checking out, though as it has been noted, it sounds a lot like Fiona Apple. Heartlandtruckstop is an edgy piece which is good, because a large portion of this album is hauntingly mellow - but that's a good thing, too. Comfort of Strangers and Shadow of a Doubt are both downbeat pieces, but with strangly catchy melodies - as with most of Orton's music - they get better with repeated listenings. Concieved is her poppy single, which is well, quite poppy. But good. Absinthe isn't in itself an incredible song, but its a great lead-in to the next few tracks. A Place Aside is one of my favorite tracks on this CD, it's short and very sweet and a heartfelt tribute, though indirect, to her mother. Safe In Your Arms was my first favorite off this album - the piano chords, though simple create such motion underneath the repetitive guitar riff which mirrors the lyrical content perfectly. Vocals are dead on, but that's no suprise. Heart of Soul would be my next pick - a more upbeat piece to break up the slow songs - if you want a beat, listen to this song - though it is downbeat it is insistent and catchy. Pieces of Sky is why I love Beth Orton. She doesn't make just music - she makes art - lyrically it's pure poetry. It's like the difference between a sketch or a charcoal piece or a comic book and a painting. It's just emotional and stylish and artistic and classy and just really, really moving. Beth Orton stands behind this as 'THE' Beth Orton album. In a recent interview she stated that, to paraphrass, "I don't care if I never make another album again...It's just that I'm so ****ing satiated." She displays her maturation as a songwriter on this album. Maybe it's too somber or artsy at points for some people, but this is music for adults about life. This is THE Beth Orton album. Go get it.

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