Central Reservation

A few songs stood out, but I was ready for it to be done.

At its best, had some Tracy Chapman vibes I really enjoyed, but it just didn't keep my attention the whole way

3 Nothing too exciting, but nice.

Some nice songs. Not something I would have found or listened to otherwise

3/5 This was very much like Norah Jones and Fiona Apple crossed. It felt low energy and slow, but maybe that's just personal taste. It wasn't horrible like some albums we have come across, but I just listened through it rather than enjoyed it.

This was not my favourite. I found her voice a little unpleasant and didn't really get drawn into this album at all. First meh of the week though, so I'll take it!

Listen

A super satisfying and moving blend of singer-songwriter soul, emotional lyricism, and a taste of breezy 90s production. Pretty good!

Wispy voice, gentle chord progressions, delicate guitars - at times just this, at times with muted drums and bass. The sound of a 1000 dinner parties and mornings after in the late 90s. None the worst for that and holds up very well.

Not what I would consider my cup of tea normally but it was very solid.

Belle voix, belles mélodies subtiles, je me laisse bercer

Olin ennakkoluuloinen tämän suhteen, kun toi folk on aina vähän niin ja näin. Ei tää huono kuitenkaan ollut, eikä myöskään erihyvä. Ihan ok levelille jäätiin

Siisti tyyli ja kiinnostavaa musaa. Hyvällä tavalla tosi tyypillinen vuosituhannen vaihteen soundi. Ei nyt ihan nelonen, mutta vahva kolme.

I love Beth Orton's Trailer Park album which I just a fresh listen and it is still as calming and uplifting as I remember. Central Reservation never grabbed me in the same way. I still like it but it feels stilted and forced compared to her debut. The crash to her first albums smooth come down

3.5 stars it’s fine but better than average slightly.Acoustic songs with deep lyrics

This was good. Chill 90's vibes. Rainy coffee shop sorta stuff

Ethereal pop-rock. Not the best, not the worst.

"Stolen Car" was great, and got me excited. Real 90s alt-rock Oasis vibes. When it then immediately flipped into singer-songwriter territory, it lost me a bit. It's not currently a genre I enjoy, and it felt like the album continued to strip itself down as it went. Picked up again towards the end though.

Review tbc

This was kind of boring. Overall it was fine, though. Nothing amazing, but I didn't mind listening to it.

This was alright - nothing crazy. Kind of a middle of the road album where nothing stood out; really average. 6/10.

onako

Beze ali okej

Ah yeah this, I remember this. Stolen Car is better than I remember, more than just the radio-friendly indie folk it appears to be on the surface. I seem to remember a lot of artists tried to emulate the success of this but they were rubbish. Never listened to the rest of the album. Well, I'd stick it on ahead of Richard Hawley, that's for sure. It's nice enough.

Folk. Muy aburrido.

Nice production on a really interesting collection of songs. I liked the way she plays with a kind of nonsense in some of her lyrics, making them a bit surreal at times. Really like the song “So Much More”. There was a stretch, maybe two or three songs around Love Like Laughter where her voice just seems to stay on one or two notes constantly and that got a little irritating. But the songs and the writing are excellent.

Let down a bit by this. I hadn’t heard it in a while and I remembered really liking it. She never really seemed to live up to her potential. Listening to this now I think I heard it at the time with the hope that she would. Somehow the record itself feels like a reflection of that as even the songs don’t seem to develop enough.

It's one of those albums where if you want to maximize your enjoyment, you should be following the lyrics as you listen. She's a really fantastic and imaginative songwriter, confrontational and emotional when needs be. Honestly some of the coolest lyrics I've seen. The instrumentation embodies much of 70s folk style like Tim Buckley or Van Morrison, while matching her contemporaries like Everything but the Girl and Alanis Morissette, incorporating alt-rock, jazz, and electronic. It's a very spacious and patient album. The biggest weakness is its length, with melodies not interesting enough to warrant their 4+ minute lengths, and too many songs to maintain anticipation. Her voice does a decent job at converying the emotions, you can tell Van Morrison is a model for her, but it doesn't blow me away. I appreciate the diverse genre styles in nearly every song, but it all feels gimmicky and lazy in an attempt to best match the overall mood of the song. If it were lusher or evolved throughout the song, I'd be more intrigued. Favorites: Stolen Car, Sweetest Decline, So Much More, Blood Red River

Not my thing

I liked it

First impression - British Alanis Morissette. The style of music and voice of Beth Orton really sounded similar to the Canadian star. Actually, as an average listener, I think that Alanis is a slightly better singer and writer than Beth. Central Reservation started really nice with song "Stolen Car", which could be easily a hit if released nowadays. But in general, the album lack of hits or more drawing songs hurts it in comparison to other similar artists, like Alanis for example. Titular "Central Reservation" didn't help it either, even though there was three different remixes on the album. The record itself was very pleasant to listen to, but it fell into background pretty quickly. According to some talking heads, Beth Orton created a certain subgenre, called folktronica, which is pretty self-explanatory. Unfortunately, I was not able to hear anything special or unique on this album. It sounded just like one of many, with a beautiful singing voice by Beth, but that is not enough to warrant a good rating on its own.

Standard singer/songwriter material. All depends on whether her voice appeals to the listener or not, and in my case it was not. Nothing really wrong, but nothing that grabbed my attention

Alright

Album No.10 - I didn't have time to go through it in detail as I'd like to - I'd do that over the weekend. So far, I like the ambience created by the vocals and soft instrumentals in the back. Will definitely have to go back to check the lyrics out. Not quite my type of an album, but a nice one to put on in the background - and my wife enjoys it a lot, which is important too. 3.5/5 - for now down to 3.0 but maybe 4.0 after a while?

2.5 stars. Not sure if I'll ever return to this album, but surprisingly enjoyable

Probably a 3.5 for me. Enjoyed more than I expected. Great background music.

I got turned on to this album when it came out. It's a nice lazy Sunday morning vibe with a lot of jazz overtones. I was happy it came up because she has a new album out and it reminded me I wanted to check it out.

Beautiful voice and rich textured music. Enjoyed it a lot but I wouldn't seek it out on purpose, however, would listen if came up in a playlist.

It's nice. Her voice carries a lot of emotion, but the songs just aren't that memorable.

When listening I thought, “This seems like music that would be on Dawson’s Creek.” And sure enough. Good to have a feminine voice after all the macho rockers.

it seemed okay

Really liked the opening song, glimpses of greatness. Actually liked to background tune more than her voice which was a bit warbly.

Aldrig hört tidigare och första låten är helt fantastiskt. Tyvärr är resten av plattan lite ojämn med ett fåtal låtar som sticker ut. Blir en trea. Kunde man ge halva poäng så skulle det bli 3,5.

Can timelessness be a bad thing? This sounds like it could have been recorded any time in the past 40 years, but not necessarily in a good way, just in an unchallenging way.

Seems nice. No complaints. 3/5

Est-ce qu'on peut arrêter deux minutes avec les Joni Mitchelleries, Robert ?! Emmylou Harris et maintenant ça en deux jours ?!

Kinda dull in places but inoffensive

Folktrónica pone... Ni fu ni fa.

Average Prefs: Stolen Car, Pass In Time, Central Reservation, Blood Red River, Feel To Believe, Central Reservation (The Then Again Version) Moins Pref: Love Like Laughter

Mellow folk-tinged pop with added gentle electronica. Nicely done. Very similar to Trailer Park.

There were some tracks that I really liked, but also a fair amount of filler

Beautiful voice!

Pleasant. I like her voice

It’s ok…

I-hit wa-hus a pre-hity goo-hood alb-hum. Bu-hut her di-hiction i-his anoy-hoy-hoying.

It's singer-songwriter week for my algorithm apparently! Not familiar with Beth Orton, but she writes pleasant songs that have a very mournful quality. They're meloncholy but it's not bumming me out to listen. They are long however, lots of 5-7 minute tunes which maybe could be shaved down a bit. I've spent the entire album trying to figure out who she sounds like, her voice is so familiar but I can't figure out who it is.

Calm compositions and a pleasant voice. Didn't find it particularly gripping, it's rather a background for other activities.

Całkiem przyjemnie śpiewa, ale dupy nie urywa.

A very good singer-songwriter album. Beautifully produced too. I’d never heard of her before. I wouldn’t put it on a ‘best of all time’ list but I do like it. The first half is better than the second half though. Highlights: “Stolen Car,” “Sweetest Decline,” “Couldn’t Cause Me Harm,” “So Much More,” ”Pass In Time,” “Stars All Seem to Weep,” “Central Reservation (The Then Again Version)”

I feel like there's more to this album than what you first get on a first listen / initial listens of the more prominent tracks. It has standout performances, like the guitar solo on "Stolen Car", and it has songs that are really sonically different and dynamic that show a good strength of songwriting with different tones and timbres. One down side for me is the track list has one little quirk: I'm estimating here but the BPMs are like this per track: 1: 120~ish bpm 2: 90~ish 3: 100~ish 4: 80~ish 5: 85~ish 6: 85~ish 7: back up to 90-100~ish last track (which is a remix): 120~ish bpm To me, this is kind of weird because it starts with a track that moves and then gets a good bit slower for the rest of the album until the last track. Most music acts have "their" sound and don't deviate too much from it, but I find it weird to sandwhich the album with two upbeat tempo tracks and then have a lot of slower tracks in the middle. It's not a terribly bad thing, but for someone like me who likes the idea of logically placing tracks to create a well-paced listen, I think that it's a weaker variable for the album. Overall I liked the album. As I mentioned above it is more than just a singer songwriter thing, and there's some real nice moments on it.

Might be my favorite of hers.

Very chill, but forgetable.

Light Cranberries, nice, melodic and great background music to just let time pass. This sounds like a bit backhanded compliment but it isn't meant to be

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: central reservation

A solid album, with really beautiful vocals, but too mellow for my taste and nothing stood out or stuck in my head.

fine and ok

Conocía a Beth Orton por su colaboración con Chemical Brothers y después escuché el disco "Comfort of strangers" con su potente percusión y que sigue siendo mi favorito de ella. Este es su disco más famoso con su canción más escuchada "Stolen car" y otra más o menos conocida con una versión acústica y un remix que tuvo cierta difusión "Central Reservation". No está mal en conjunto pero no creo que sea algo imprescindible.

I'm not sure this is particularly groundbreaking, but is pleasant enough and Beth's vocals are distinctive

Meandering, dreamy, sad and hopeful. A slow burner. 3/5

Ehh it's okay.

Like a knock-off Nora Jones. With a crappy beat box. Very much a product of the era it was released in.

A lot of 90s albums suffer from bloat and sadly this is one of them. Loved the early 90s alt singer-songwriter sound but at about 35-40 minutes in it was dragging

This album was full of good songs that I would never be interested in listening to again. I never like rating this kind of album because it is clearly really good, just not anything I'd want to listen to.

Often cited as a classic Folktronica album, it actually lacks a little bit on the electronica side. But the songs have beatuful arrengements and the lyrics are very interesting. The problem for me is that, from the first track on, "Stolen Car" (the best on the album), the album loses momentum very fast and starts sounding repetitive in the second half. But Orton's voice is beautiful and, by itself, is reason enough to give it a listen.

Nice but a bit uneventful, I guess I had to be there at the moment it came out

Never been a huge fan of Beth Orton. One or two songs, her voice has always seemed so weak. This was more country than I expected. It’s fine (but doesn’t seem like one of the best albums of all time!)

Easy listening! She reminds me of Dido ❤️really like her voice.

Loved the voice, really goes well with the music 3.5/5

I like this. I hear a lot of Joni Mitchell in her voice at times and I'm cool with that. When I heard the first song and saw that this came out in 1999 and I immediately wondered if she had been on the Lilith Fair at some point. And damn if I wasn't right about that. I'm like folk-lady psychic. Ask me anything.

Liked the first track. Rest was pretty boring.

Started strong, got boring. A classic 3.

Soothing and good as background music but not something I'd come back to listen to again

This album was nice to listen to but I wouldn’t say was anything special by any means. It’s very mid to late 90s female artist sounding. Something nice to listen to and relax, but nothing really grabs me as special.

The music itself is good, decent to have on in the background if you've had your coffee.

3.5/5. Can def see the importance, and there are some bangers, but the folk tacks are so mid

Seemed promising, but got less interesting to me as it went on.

I know Beth Orton mostly from her vocals on Chemical Brothers albums. I like the way they use her voice in a more ethereal way. I don't particularly enjoy the combination of folk and electronic music on this album. It's too heavy on the folk side for my taste.

Pretty 90s singer/songwriter. Very of the times, not a huge fan but nothing is bad. "Stars All Seem to Weep" is more of what I'd be interested in, a bit more trip-hop mixed with acoustic.

Liked quite a bit

Easy listening, didn’t feel moved by it or find it memorable. Beautiful vocals

7/10

Surprisingly good.

I mean...I'm starting to think this album generator gets stuck in a groove sometimes. Here's PJ Harvey, a moody alternative 90s British female artist, and here's Beth Orton a moody alternative 90s British female artist. Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to Adele, perhaps the Spice Girls? Anyway, this is more poppy than PJ Harvey for sure. Reminds me of Jewel. There's a "Who Will Save Your Soul" sound to her. And some Sarah McLaughlin in there too.

I've been getting a lot of folk-rock from this list lately. I don't normally like that genre very much, but Beth Orton has a great voice - good storytelling voice. It's an interesting take on the genre too, and clearly influential on other artists. Plus - Dr. John and Ben Harper collaboration = pretty cool.

Easy to listen to and the "-tronica" in "folktronica" makes it a bit more interesting for me than if it were only "folk". However, as it goes on, near the end, it start to become a bit bland and kind of same-sounding. 3-stars anyhow.

Strong Fiona, Alanis, Lilith Fair 90's vibes. Not bad

Harmless, easy listening, but nothing outstanding.

2.5

The comedown queen. I dunno, I tried her when she came out, expecting to relate. Didn’t. Still don’t. Great vocalist for sure, just missed the mark for me.

"You said you stood for every known abuse That was ever Promised To anyone like you Don't you wish you knew better by now When you're old enough not to?" (Stolen car) "I can feel my heart Especially now it's on the roof of my mouth" (Couldn't cause me harm) El disco se me hizo un poco monotemático, y es una pena porque empieza súper arriba pero no vuelve a alcanzar ese nivel. Muy buena voz, todo muy late 90s.

Obviously good but somehow didn't strike very deeply for me. I wasn't attending particularly to the lyrics and maybe am giving this less than it's due.

Pretty chill

Yeah fine, not hugely memorable

Yeah was alright

An ok album of singer-songwriter Beth Orton. A bit bland and nothing sticks.

Great song writing. Very 90s. Pretty cool.

Liked it better than I thought I would. Used to hear Beth Orton dance remixes.

This was awesome! Really enjoyed it.

I think I've heard something from Beth Orton before, but I'm not sure what it is. I don't think it was on this album. "Stolen Car" was the closest to sounding familiar. This album sounds like it would have been played by some of the radio stations I listened to in the late 90s, but it also sounds like stuff from the late 90s. I didn't find any new favorite tracks, but there wasn't anything that I definitely disliked either. (3 stars.)

Неплохо поёт.

What an incredible voice, and a beautiful album. Some really brilliant tracks on this. I would happily dip my toe into this again

Solid but wouldn't listen again.

Not bad

Gorgeous voice but all a little dull really

Pretty middle of the road

Some really beautiful tracks and some very mundane. Was going to give this a 4 but the later parts of the album really let it down

Standaard 90's vibes. Was de perfecte soundtrack voor een sneeuwochtend met zon. Op gelijk wel ander moment van de dag zou ik dit maar meh vinden. Favoriet lied: Pass in Time

Niets speciaals, maar ook niet slecht

Easy listening, maar geen hoogvlieger. Aangenaam als achtergrondmuziek, maar zou het niet snel nog eens opzetten.

Nothing excellingly good, but nothing really bad either. Very good to put up in the background, quite relaxing.

Very generic 90's singer songer writer album.

I like her songwriting and she has a distinctive voice that has a certain amount of vulnerability that works well with her folky songs. The single Stolen Car has a very different sound and feel than the rest of the LP. It sounds  like they knew they needed a single and  pulled out all the stops and production expertise to  get the guitars  to sound just right for the airwaves. I'm not saying it's contrived. Ok maybe it's a little contrived but it's still a really good tune.  Her LP kinda reminds me of PJ Harvey and early Sinead 'O'connor in that they all put their hearts out there for all to see. (Sinead's first album also had Mandinka which was produced to sound  the way a single is supposed to sound.) 

Good album. I usually like female singer/songwriters. This is no exception.

meh for an album, but the songs could fit into some of my shuffled playslists

Quite mellow, not outstanding hence ***

Fijne plaat voor een rustige ochtend. Lekker dat ie een beetje trippy is. Duurt wel een beetje te lang waardoor de zang wat gaat zeuren.

Pretty bored. Didn't think I knew who this was, but it all sounded very familiar. Pretty sure Mum had this album. I remember the first song, which is pretty good. Cool voice, but otherwise, pretty bland. Songs are far too long for how uneventful they are. Kinda nice, but also pretty meh Update: gets better at the end. Love like Laughter and blood red river are stand outs. I'm confused.

Moet het misschien nog eens met meer aandacht luisteren want volgens mij is het wel een mooi album.

Sounds a little like Dido. Her voice is just okay. Too feely for me.

not great but decent background music

good music with nice lyrics and decent backing. not quite to my taste but enjoyable nonetheless

It was OK. Nothing stood out and blew me away

Moody, good songwriting & lyrics, nice voice. I owned a compilation she put out a few years after this that included a bunch of these songs. Pleasant enough. I prefer the slightly more produced pieces like Stars all Seem to Weep.

Bella voz. Acompasado. Fácil de escuchar

Excellent songwriting and impassioned singing. I can hear how she influenced female singers that followed her eg Sarah McLachlan with her soulful, wavering singing style.

Ca secoute bien un genre d’electropo 3*

I actually took a nap when the album was playing #true story

Not too much to say, it was a sappy album that was so sad

Never heard of her before, but it was a cool album! I'm trying to think of who she reminds me of. Maybe Joni Mitchell was a big influence?

breathy 90's girl voice

Nothing ground breaking but nice enough. Couldn't cause me harm is my highlight

Got a little repetitive.

Kind of moody and folk-sy. Average.

Would listen again, liked Stolen Car

Pleasant enough. Bit like Dido or Emma Rugg. Not what I’m really into at the moment.

Well produced and well Written just not to my taste

Bloody hell, this is so very, very dreary.

I don’t find Beth Orton that interesting. The most interesting thing about this album to me is how 1999 it sounds. Orton’s pronunciation is really of its time for singer songwriter voices, it’s like she’s trying to add a bunch of h’s in the middle of words (like “buhurning” instead of burning). Very the voice people were doing at the time, sort of like “cursive singing” in the 2010s people would make fun of. Anyway not bad but I don’t see a lot worth returning to, I liked Couldn’t Cause Me Harm.

Was mid. Then I got sick of it and started to not want to hear it at all. 👎

I actually kind of liked "Central Reservation" (the song). A lot of stuff was way too depressing though.

Mid album by a mid artist. better yet mid because I guess it's just not my type of music. Not enough energy too... Stolen car was the best song in the album

Very eclectic folksy record which draws frpm several influences folktronica, downtempo... to offer a mild yet rewarding listen. 7/10 [KEEP]

Dull. But pretty.

Some interesting moments in Beth Orton's award winning album, especially towards the beginning, but by the end my attention was wandering and boredom was setting in. Best track is the opener, Stolen Car, and Couldn't Cause Me Harm is also a good track. The title track sounds fine in the centre of the album, but the remixed version, which would have gained more airplay, is an uncomfortable shoe-in on the end and doesn't fit well, especially with the acoustic songs that had preceded it. I'm not a fan of her voice, but I do like the mix of acoustic, modern folk music with a bit of electronica. But I was losing interest by the end. 2 stars.

Milquetoast

This was boring. Several songs seemed like worse ripoffs of other music, such as Stolen Car which had melodies and rhythms that closely resembled Jolene by Dolly Parton.

Really boring. Literally every song sounds the exact same. British.

First listen: opens with two 5 minute plus songs. Not sure they’re interesting enough to be that long. Lots of slow to medium songs that go on for a minute or more too long. Nothing really stands out. And when I have no desire to give it a second listen, 2 stars it is.

See album polnud mulle ei ebameeldiv ega meeldiv, väga mittemidagiütlev. Jah, kuulamist raskendas minu kõrval istuv väga vali kinnisvaraärimees, aga isegi siis kui ma proovisin keskenduda, ei hakkanud mulle midagi kõrva. Ma ei tahaks 2 anda, sest see tundub karm, aga 3 on kuidagi palju öeldud.

I really tried, but I just don't like her voice.

This one didn’t land for me.

I liked her voice but not on these songs. Too slow and boring overall for me.

I like her voice but didn’t find the music itself very interesting. Not something I’ll rush to revisit

She's talented, but it's just not my cup of tea personally.

lindo, muy chill

2 stars

No notes

I really like the opening track but this is a standout track compared to the tedium that follows.

This was pleasant, but also no chance I put it back on. 2 stars it is.

I just finished listening to Central Reservation and I can’t remember a single part of it.

In no way a hate two star. On par with Alanis. I have been unfair to Alanis.

ack...

Nothing to object to, but also nothing to move me.

"Stars All Seem to Weep" standout song, maybe because does not sing a lot? Rest of the album is mid. Low 3*, nevermind: 2* 2/5

Fine. Sofr rock boring

Not bad

its very nineties. too nineties. it started out strong, wasnt as empty with clean easy riffs. didnt have that open chord note picking feel. back half lost me completely. cheesy keyboard synths, airy and breathless, and so much clean nineties guitar. yuck. shes got a lovely voice to pair with the music, though.

I'm sure it's very nice but I just found it a bit boring. Sorry Beth

I got my license the summer 99. As such I heard Central Reservation too many times to count as I listened to the alt radio station and drove through the wilds of Western New York. Now I want to smoke a Camel Red and think about a pre-9/11 proto paradise.

Un album somme toute très répétitif, sauf pour le passage expéditif de Dido, qu'on salue. Quelques moments mélodieux et beaux, des mélodies sympa au début, mais finalement assez redondantes. Une voix assez agaçante à force, et je dois avouer que comme pour beaucoup d'albums jusqu'à présent, je me réjouissais que ça se termine.

Pretty vanilla singer/songwriter naughties music. Can't say it's drawn me in really.

ze begon als een vrouwelijke Neil Young, maar dat veranderde rap in de vrouwelijke Tom Yorke... jammer

172. ok

Not a fan

Oh not sure? That makes me nervous, honestly… Man, this album took me on a ride. It opened and I thought “wow, I might have been judgy going in. Shit, this may be a 4.” Then it went on and I started to get bored and I was “no, 3, not higher than a 3.” But I had to admit the percussion was well layered. So maybe a 4…But… then I began to feel in that layering -overproduction. And by the time the dub came in I was fully convinced it was overproduced. And my rating was heading toward a 2. By the end I was solid in my 2. And fully asking the eternal question: What the f* is this- Mercury Prize Finalist -doing on the damn list? She did not even win the Mercury Prize for 2000. So even by British standards- what, what is this doing here?!? Time wasting! Boolean- NO! I did not need to hear this before I died, thank you.

don't really have anythiung to say about it

I mean it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. But not great either 4/10 Top song Stolen car

got bored, good background music tho. all kinda just sound the same.

Deadly dull.

2.5 Started off fine, got boring

Periaatteessa ihan ok, mutta taas liian iisiä musaa mulle. Tää sopis johonkin rauhalliseen hetkeen taustalle.

When it first came on I thought I knew this album. As I listened more, I realized I was mistaking her for Natalie Merchant/10K Maniacs with a touch of Suzanne Vega style song writing mixed in. This fact made it hard for me to rate because I am so familiar with those other artists who predated her. There are good songs here such as Central Reservation, the title track, and Stolen Car, but they lack the original sound, and seem kind of copy cat-ish. The biggest difference is the other two artists are more staccato and less legato, which makes the lyrics easier to hear. If there was a 2.5, she would probably sit in that pocket.

This has a certain groove in some tracks. Others I struggle with, they just don't grab me. I liked "Couldn't Cause me Harm," For example. Pretty slow acoustic whiney for me. 2/5

I didn't know her at all. She has got a beautiful voice. I liked the first and last song but found the rest so unremarkable that I couldn't focus on it (basically I didn't hear it)

eh.

Crikey that was dull.

I'm sure this has value to others. I found it boring. Pretty, but dull.

Музыкально исполнено неплохо, но вокально очень скучно

mmmm good

Not for me

Not really my thing.

Nice start. Njöt ändå en del, men andra halvan var mindre bra alltså. Hade riktigt svårt för några av låtarna där.

Normally I listen to an album from this list when I’m in a position to focus on it, like commuting. As I listened to this one at Easter, when staying with family, I didn’t have time to do so and listened to it whilst spending time with them. The wonder of headphones. I’m very glad I did. If I gave this album my undivided attention it might have gotten a 1 star. In an hour-long runtime I cannot pluck out any specific tune, lyric, or feeling. It’s like sticking your hand into the ocean; the water brushes past you. This album to me was entirely forgettable, it simply didn’t do anything with its time. I am not opposed to this sort of music inherently, a lyricist and a guitar have done wonders before, looking at someone like Nick Drake, but here it feels very hollow. Slim this album down, put some more energy into a song or two to break it up. Not an album as much as a single stretched out over an hour, and I don’t think it will chart.

I’ve been on vacation with the family for spring break so maybe I didn’t give this the full attention it deserve but nothing here grabbed. Got my hopes up for some trip-hop but that never played out.

Kinda boring, maybe need another listen.

This is at least the third time I've given this album a chance and it still does nothing for me. Stolen Car is really good, but everything else is just blah.

Good voice, but songs a bit same-y.

No my cuppa. I'm not a fan of the style - vocal and musical, embraced in this album. The songs don't feel strong enough, and it's very down tempo, with little reward.

light folk pop informed by the trip hop of the 90s. fairly dull at times but overall, a nice vibe for a rainy morning. i like Orton's voice, which stands nicely against the artificial production. production that honestly doesn't flatter the folk pop palette. now, going for folktronica is fine, i just wish this committed more to either side. ends up just kind of bland and middling. deserves to be one of the 1001? Terry Callier's on it. it'd be cool if What Color is Love was included. i'll shoutout Modal Soul too since it's one of my favorite albums of all time. but this? this i could live without hearing.

Not my thing

British country? UK Folk? I'm not sure what it is. Sadly it missed me and I probably won't be listening to more of her.

Good first song.

Bland

I know I listened to this album. I have the records to prove it. I did, in fact, listen to Beth Orton's Central Reservation coming in at just under an hour. But honestly? I can't tell you a darn thing about it. Orton has a remarkabke voice with genuine range, I do remember that. A shame that she didn't really have anything to say here. I would absolutely give her another chance, though, as I should have liked this. Really disapppointed that it was so mid.

I spent this whole time trying to figure out what this sounded like and when the album finished and Fiona Apple started I had an answer. If Fiona Apple did an impression of Sarah McLaughlin with more rock and roll you might have this. It was yes and no for me mostly but when it was over I was disappointed because I had finally started enjoying it.

I was feeling the first half but then it kind of fell off for me

There’s parts of this I liked but it dragged on

not bad. has some good numbers. very lilith faire. some production is pretty dated. ultimately not my thing.

not for me

Uptempo songs are good, but I'm not a fan of the more folky ballads.

I think I am just tired of this late 90s early 2000s sound. There is a reason why the Cranberries, Boa and Sixpence all stood the test of the time. This is nice and it is well made but is really is bland and I think it starts well and is easy listening but doesn't feel monumental where other albums you can feel the grit. I heard a little of the first record and the Trip hop sound was so interesting why change. Meh will never visit this again

I don't think I registered a single lyric

90s pop/folk with elements of soft rock. It wasn't terrible but also wasn't very interesting or exciting. Most of the songs felt a bit too long.

Kinda boring

Sure. Sounds pretty good. Vibey folk ish thing. Easy to listen to. Not a ton stuck. Feels like music to go somewhere to. Nice voice. Feel to Believe showcases her well.

I'm not sure about the relevance compared to like a Sarah McLachlan album which is missing from the list. Pass in Time - caught my attention. I don't know it's fine, but give me some Julie Doiron or Feist instead.

it okay

I feel bad rating this one a two. She’s a competent singer/songwriter and has a beautiful voice but I just kept forgetting I was listening to it. Just couldn’t hold my attention. So for that I think it gets two stars.4/10

Sometimes I listen to an album on this list and think “why is this here?” It’s a frustrating feeling because the album isn’t bad, but surely there are better albums than this???

There are a few very good moments here, and the overall listen is pleasant, but the album as a whole feels way too long and is extremely dull at points. There are songs that feel very one flavour, lacking any real interesting moments. I can’t say I’ll remember much from the album whatsoever, despite the fact that I really do like the opening track and some of the other songs are a nice listen.

This blooooooows, music I would hear playing at that cafe I hate

no annoying

niente male, niente che ricorderò

Pleasant but not very interesting.

Eh, not one that’s memorable to me.

Sounds generic

Unforgivably bland. The opening track is a 3, every other song is a 2. Frankly unacceptable that this is included on the list over a Thea Gilmore or Gemma Hayes.

Pleasing but not exceptionally noteworthy. Sits in the Alanise Morrisette register. The title track is great, then right after that the more electronic “Stars All Seem To Weep” was a stellar switch up to a more electronic sound. Other than that? Meh. The music is a 3/5, the inclusion of this album on a specific list is 2/5. Gotta be in one of the biggest slumps so far, but thats coming off the heels of a crazy good run of records

A bit too folky for me but I did enjoy some of the electronic elements.

I'm a low 3 or high 2. I think it's suffering for me as I really enjoy her 2012 sugaring season album and so this doesn't sound like it's fully reached that style yet. also, my favourite song is the first one on the album

I'm not a great fan of the voice. Put me off listening to the lyrics.

Snoozer of an album. Only really got along with Blood Red River, but the rest was a bit of a chore. Sorry, Beth. 2.49/5

a quaint album by an artist who wears her influences quite proudly. while the joni mitchell and john martyn comparisons seem a bit overblown, you can certainly tell that orton has a deep appreciation for these singer/songwriters. this record is fine. certainly not bad, but not too memorable either. there are a lot of cool ideas and some definite moments of genius on central reservation, but nothing done consistently enough to reel me in. i’m right down the middle in this one, if i could give this album the score of “indifferent/5” i would.

According to Wikipedia, this album is "folktronica," a genre I'd never heard of, and didn't really make sense in context apart from the tracks Stars Seem to Weep, and Central Reservation (then again version). For the most part, it was fairly unremarkable pop-rock -- a collection of songs that would have been right at home on a Starbucks playlist from the early 00s. Borderline offensively inoffensive from start to finish. Beth's beautiful voice is a highlight throughout, but unfortunately, that's not enough to save the album for me. Solid 2.

++: Stolen Car, Couldn't Cause Me Harm, Love Like Laughter +: Sweetest Decline, So Much More, Central Reservation +-: Pass in Time, Central Reservation, Stars All Seem To Weep, Blood Red River, Devil Song, Feel to Believe 4,6/10

Mom rock

I listened to this a while ago, but seemingly forgot to rate it. I remember, though, that it was not very interesting

OK background music. Doesn't sound special at all to me. I don't understand how this got in the book.

2.0 so boring and long too

2.5

Great album to fall asleep to.

This album starts out as a mediocre Brit-Pop version of Natalie Merchant and quickly descends into a very forgettable melange of meh. If the author(s) feel like dolling out a slot on this list to every UK artist that gets a Mercury Prize nomination waved in their direction this is going to be a very trying ordeal. 2/5

Right off the bat, the exaggerated style of singing on this album is off-putting - it just reads as melodramatic. Powering through that though, are there any decent songs here? "Couldn't Cause Me Harm" has a solid groove and decent melody. And that's about it.

An extremely late 90s pop album. I’m not sure why every female singer sang with that same weird affect but it makes an otherwise fine album almost unlistenable for me.

every song sounds basically the same and is almost always over 5 minutes long. why.

A flatmate of mine at uni loved Beth Orton and would play her frequently. He was a prick so it taints my view of this album. Beyond that it is inherently average. I find her singing voice quite nasal and grating, which means it moves beyond background music. After the fourth song I nearly turned it off, but persevered. Wished I hadn’t. It’s not the worst thing I’ve listened to so far as the electronica lifts it’s somewhat, but beyond that it’s not something I would seek out to listen to again.

Had to go and listen to fiona apple afterwards

Это как-то ну скучно что ли, хотя голос у певицы очень красивый. Ей бы какие-нибудь песни подрайвовее

Not bad. Some of it can be catchy enough. But all in all, this singer/songwriter vibe isn’t for me.

This was dreadfully boring. Very late 90s/early 00s singer songwriter where most songs sound the same and sung with almost no affect. There are instances where it works brilliantly, but most of the time it’s just dull. This album was mostly the latter. “Pass In Time” was truly a fantastic song, but the rest of the album was forgettable.

Mega dreary. Not a fan of her voice, unfortunately. Wanted to like it so much more than I did. Devil Song is absolutely fine.

She literally named the album after the middle of the road! It might be nice but I'd need to hear a covers version of it because her voice is a bit grating. Damn, was hoping for a good one.

2/5 just kinda boring. fine, but boring and not my thing too much

2/5 - favourite part of the album was the first 30 seconds of the first track, the rest was pretty boring and inoffensive

Boring coffee shop ass music. 4/10

Dry white toast. Unenthusiastic OTPHJ. Unlike many albums on this list that give you some hope that it will pick up, this one just didn’t.

There's nothing really wrong with this but it's just doesn't do anything for me. I can see why people do though

I didn’t hate any of it, but it all sounding like the exact same song kept me from liking any of it.

I remember seeing her face on the CD cover at the music shop I used to work at and being intrigued by the type of music she would play. I never got around to listening back in those days though. Which I’m perfectly ok about because I didn’t miss anything special.

Decent.

How did this mid-level album that sounds like every other Album get on this list. I only listened to the first two songs.

Definitely an album of all time.

I liked #2 I think. By track 6 I was like well at least I haven’t turned it off yet and then by 8 Live Laugh Love I had had enough

Basically just a Joni Mitchell tribute band.

Não ouvi tudo não

Traff meg ikkje

Beth is an English singer, so as is tradition, she gets added to this list by default. The album is pretty decent, and Orton has a fairly unique voice. Vocal style seems to be a throwback to Joni Mitchell.

I agree with most of the popular sentiments here: fine voice but very beige-sounding. Some of the tracks are just devoid of any valuable substance and don't need to run that long.

This is beautiful in parts but it really drags on and sounds similar to… couldn’t really love the album but a few tracks are added

Did not receive much from this (mentally)

Was never a big Fan of her but this was good probably enough to listen to more of her.

Nah.

Just fine, pleasant enough but no standout tracks for me. As others have said, quite beige.

go girl! give us nothing

I fell asleep at my desk :(

høfligt nej tak

It was just okay. Nothing really stands out to me

a great instantly forgettable album. wish I could remember anything about it but its been a couple of hours since I listened

Stolen Car

Es tranqui, agradable, pero se torna aburrido y no es realmente la gran cosa.

this just didn’t work for me today. it’s so long and so slow and “boring”. the first song is an absolute banger tho, but it isn’t enough to save the 2 star rating. if it had stayed at about 35 mins i would’ve probably had more patience with it but at an hour long i just can’t manage this. the last half of the album is painfully slow. ⭐️⭐️

Its alright. Kind of Joni Mitchell-esque in quite a few places which made me wonder why i should just be listening to Joni Mitchell.

Eh.

Standard singer songwriter fare. There was a time in my life I was far more into this type of music. That time isn't now. 2/5

Honestly this site should be called A Load of Solid 3s, Nothing Special, Barely Moving the Needle, with the Occasional Banger Triggering Happy Memories and Pile of Steaming Shite Just Triggering, You Know, to Keep You Interested. This wasn't one of those Solid 3s...

It's ok. But if I am going to listen to this type of music give me PJ Harvey or Fiona Apple

Started strong and fizzled.

Upon listening I said: "Hmm...this is some Lillith Fair stuff...or maybe soundtrack to WB shows from the 90s". Turns out it was both those things.

Meh just not my style, weird vibes

didnt like her voice enough for the songwriting to shine