Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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
She can’t sing very well. It reminded me of Dido
She sounds like she laughs in the middle of singing her lyrics. Example: the second song has a line “sweetest decline”, her version is pronounced “sweetest declihihahine”. This persistent throughout the whole album. 4/10
I listened to this yesterday, but I can’t even really remember anything that stood out. It’s about as vanilla as one can get. First track was the “best,” but it was all downhill from there.
I first heard Beth Orton when she provided vocals for The Chemical Brothers' "Where Do I Begin?" She has a singular phrasing and tone that does have echoes of Sinéad O'Connor, which is no small compliment. Beth Orton has a great voice, yes, but on too many tracks here the music sounds like what you'd hear inside a Starbucks at the turn of the century. This record is mostly a venti cup full of medium-roasted generic singer/songwriter boredom. We open with a sprawling and evocative road song, but the road kinda just stretches out without a lot of scenery. We're on I-5 south of Buttonwillow suddenly. There are some highlights, however: I remember "Stars All Seem To Weep", which is the total standout track here. The thermin-esque keyboard tag that runs throughout the trip-hoppy rhythms gives this a massive sense of what the last days of the millenium sounded like. "So Much More" offers an opportunity for Orton to wail out and stretch her vocal chords a bit in more instrumental ways, and the arrangement is less formulaic and little looser and more experimental than most of the other pieces. "Blood Red River" contains a gravitas and structure that sounds very compelling, rooted, and real. (Of course I gravitate towards the melancholy stuff as the strongest). Same goes for "Devil Song", which lends a sort of cinematic denouement feeling. Otherwise this is just background folksy/corporate barista-core. There are pieces that almost get there, but then just fall short. "Pass In Time" has a little more energy and picks it up a little, but still comes across as kinda stale. Overall, there are a few really good songs here, which is less a classic album and more a single or EP. Orton's unique voice grates on the tracks that don't work and soars on the tracks that do. It's an exercise in taking it or leaving it, and I'm pretty indifferent to doing either, really. The album art is pretty standard minimalist late 90s early 00s lo-fi design fare that kinda calls out to a cinematic presentation with the black bars suited for a digipak and jewel case release, but doesn't really do anything special. Feels rushed and unconsidered. Yawn. Where's the coffee?
p844. 1999. 2 stars. Lovely voice, but bland material. Not essential listening.
It starts out strong and then just kind of plods along.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Nice instrumentation and vocals, but boring. Would not listen to this album again. Might be nice background shopping music or something.
Boring as shit. Not BAD, so not one star, according to my scoring. But boring as shit. I would never listen to this again. It is wallpaper.
My first impression of Central Reservation is that Beth Orton has a lovely voice — warm, natural, and easy to listen to. The album itself sits firmly in that late-90s wave of singer-songwriters experimenting with an electronic-folk blend. It’s pleasant enough, but never rises above that. There are a few nice moments scattered throughout, but equally as many forgettable ones. Overall, it feels safe, inoffensive, and firmly middle-of-the-road — nothing really grabs your attention or makes you stop and think wow. The biggest issue is that the songs often overstay their welcome. They meander on without a strong sense of direction or resolution, which makes parts of the album drag. Favourite track: Stolen Car and Pass in Time are genuinely nice listens. Least favourite track: Much of the record is too average to stand out, but the title track Central Reservation in particular feels like it doesn’t go anywhere. Album artwork: A standard cover that doesn’t leave much of an impression.
What, how is this good or notable?
Didn’t care for this one at all, proper samey all the way. Not a big fan of most singer-songwriter
Decent album. It felt more like background music.
Me laisse plutôt indifférent.
C'est assez monotone du Dido
Didn’t vibe with this one as much. I enjoyed the song Pass in Time but nothing else really captivated me.
This album is new to me and but for this list I would have been unaware of its existence. With that said this album is not great. It grew on me some but the lack of variety and maybe my bias against this style of music (folk/ electonica/ pop) leads me to give this a 2.
It was an okay album, my highest praise goes to the variety of backing sound scapes behind Beth's vocals. However her vocal style became a little stale after a number of songs in a row, there wasn't a whole lot of variation between them
Like the singer voice, and the album it's a nice listening. Not really one of my favorites but an respectable album 2/5
It was ok
Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Her vocals are good, and some of the instrumentation is too. It’s all a little too safe though. Towards the end it dwindled into acoustic guitar and vocal tracks which tested my patience. Good for what it is. Did not add.
This album is a snoozefest of generic, boring ballad after generic, boring ballad. Twangy singing style from an English "folktronica" singer, heavy on the folk. Sometimes I hear echoes of Joni Mitchell, but Joni Mitchell does it better. Overall, I'd say the album is inoffensive to listen to, but boring as hell. Tracks that didn't completely put me to sleep: Stolen Car (good guitar solo at the end), Stars All Seem to Weep (both were generic, but at least had a little energy).
Was not a fan of this, sounded a lot like some 70’s easy listening which was surprising given the release date.
I had high hopes going into this one. Especially seeing that a few tracks were produced by Ben Watt from Everything But The Girl. Man was I wrong. I really wanted to like this. I just couldn’t get past the vocal delivery and overall cheesy feel that seems quite dated now.
I put this on and my wife goes “oh babe, I didn’t know you’re a lesbian.” 😂 I look forward to seeing Beth at the next Lilith Fair. Wait, how do I know about Lilith Fair. Maybe I am a lesbian. 🤔
Adult contemporary BS. Dangerously close to Joni Mitchell vibes but doesn't go full Joni (ie her voice isn't fingernails on a chalkboard). That's about the only positive thing I can say about this album... 1.5/5
Nice voice but very vanilla. I couldn't tell you how one song goes after just listening to it. It is very forgettable
it's not bad but bland
Sin más, llegó un momento que me pareció un poco repetitivo.
sorry but this was bullshit
Definitely one of the albums of all time
Begin van het album vond ik wel cool maar de B-side interesteerde me niet echt.
Mwah niet zo bijzonder wat mij betreft, ook weinig tijd om te luisteren
2 - forgettable
A sleepier version of Sheryl Crow? Definitely a miss for me.
This album definitely does exist, that's for sure.
Z z z
It never seemed to get going, just cruising along being bland
This is not my type of music but there’s a variation between folk pop and downtempo that is kinda nice, I guess. This is way too long though abd ultimately way too nice for me
This album will put you to sleep.
Very very very gentle and mellow folk pop that won't hurt anybody.
Not for me
Bland
Pleasant singer-songwriter album with some interesting production touches.
Meh!
Just kinda washes over you pleasantly...
I like Britpop. I like folk. I like electronica. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't really like this. This feels like something that people who listen to Ani DeFranco would like. I don't like Ani DeFranco.
Very boring except for Pass in Time which is the only real stand-out pick from the album.
No, this is not an album for me.
Meh. Not for me.
2.08
This is good stuff. But I don't listen to stuff like this.. if I did listen to stuff like this, I would listen. Yeh 3 stars
There’s some interesting moments but the songs all kind of meander along. Need some structure or something with a little more pop
Nice little album, getting exposed to a genre you've never heard of in Folktronica is what keeps you coming back to a project like this. Unfortunately I found my mind wandering way too much while listening to this album. Blame the phones.
In a genre that is not my cup of tea, it alternates between surprisingly enjoyable (to me) and irritating (the majority);
Good songs, almost no range. I wouldn't mind listening to this again, but I also didn't get much from the full album. Any song off this could capture what the whole album is about.
Most of this album didn't do much for me, but I did find myself enjoying the songs that skewed more electronic better than the others. "Stars All Seem to Weep" had a nice 90s groove but songs like "Devil Song" dragged the album down for me.
Meh
I don't like this genre very much but I gave it a bit of a go before running out of time. From what I heard, I'm giving it a 2/5 but need to come back to give this another since it's not exactly fair to rate it so low
Nice but became very samey Found myself skipping through
Ganske dølt
Pretty Boring. Sounded like Norah Jones if she wasnt good.
Perfectly pleasant music but nothing I found too exciting or likely to pull me back for a repeat listen. Unusually for me I found I preferred the more more poppy tracks like 'Stars all seems to weep'. It still had some 90's vibes and I could imagine it being played in a cool coffee shop or art gallery-come-cocktail bar.
She sings well but I got so bored. Stand-out: Sweetest Decline
Boooooring
She's talented, I guess. Boring as hell though and generally unremarkable.
Almost put me to sleep ngl.
This was quite incredibly boring. This could be fine as background music, but honestly there's plenty of other albums that do the same thing better.
Rather bland folky pop without surprises, and the voice tires quickly
I don’t hate it. I don’t like it. Totally generic music. I’ve already forgotten her name.
Really unique voice, but I found the album pretty ho-hum.
boring as shit
Beautiful voice, boring songs
loved a few tracks, but felt a bit too long and didn't connect with much of the middle section
Quite nice, not sure how often I'll go back to it
Felt a bit slow at points and lost my interest
2.75
4/10
# Album Name: Central Reservation # Artist: Beth Orton # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: I think i nearly died of boredom. First opening song was good. After that. pretty generic. She has a nice voice. But i didnt enjoy this album. Too long and boring. # Top Tunes: Stolen Car # Would I listen to it again? No
This was quite a slog. A longish album in a genre that's not really my thing. Sounds like Nick Drake but with some vocal idiosyncracies I found grating. All slow and mostly boring. Not actively bad though. I feel like if I listened to this a few times it might grow on me, but life is too short for that
He escuchado este álbum dos veces y casi ni lo recuerdo, creo que dice bastante del álbum en sí. Está bien pero es muy olvidable. Canción destacada: Stolen Cars
DNF, lost energy as I made my way through it.
Artiste inconnue. L'instrumentation est originale pour un album classé en folk, j'aime beaucoup le violoncelle, les chorus et le rythme enlevé sur le premier morceau (Stolen car ++). Par contre ça se gâte dès le second morceau, plutôt mou, long et peu intéressant. Les suivants sont dans la même veine, et l'album est terriblement long. J'ai zappé les derniers morceaux. Je ne le ré-écouterais pas. =>2/5
Amazone voice but the Café del Mar-like easy listening muzak doesn‘t tell me anything but getting another Mojito at noon.
Nej. Nu blev det så där Fiona Apple-aktigt. Det här är verkligen inte min kopp te. Har svårt att ta till mig. Det är medioker musik och sången är ju fin men så vansinnigt tråkig.
Dull, slow singer
This is one of those albums where I can recognize why people like it, but…I don’t. I guess it’s just not my style? There are some elements that I enjoy, but maybe there’s just something about her voice that doesn’t work for me? Still pondering this one, but for now? 2/5
Pleasant enough, but really nothing special. Didn't actively dislike it so can't give it a one.
Poetry backed with a simple guitar strum. Music that you expect to hear at urban coffee shop that proudly supports the feminist movement. I would, of course, love to patronize this coffee shop and support their cause, however I would not be one to ask them “what is this music you’re listening to?”
Standout Track: Feel to Believe
Definitely not one of the top 1001 albums. But I'll play it in my car.
This is another one that weirdly I liked less on second listen. Stolen Car is by far the best track, the rest is a bit meh. And I had Trailer Park back in the day. If this is on here then Laura Marling really should be too
I was excited for this (90s British lady "electro-folk"!) but it did not particularly resonate with me. Like a country-infused Alanis Morissette at times, a slightly cheerier Sarah McLachlan at others. Maybe my problem is with (a) the tempo and (b) the drums, such as they are? I dunno. Highlight: 'Couldn't Cause Me Harm' Lowlight: 'Stolen Car' (gave me a very bad first impression)
Not my preference but not crassly or poorly made. (4 known / 6 new)
Not for me unfortunately.
It's nice. Reminds me of Alanis Morrisette and Jewel with a bit of trip-hop thrown in. I can see this album being very important for the music that plays in shows like Grey's Anatomy lol. However, I probably won't ever listen to it again. The lyrics aren't punchy enough on first listen, a little too vague and adolescent for my liking, and all the songs kind of fade into each other. Nice melodies, but her voice isn't as interesting to me as the other trip-hop Beth (sorry). I can imagine being comforted by this as a teenager, but it doesn't touch me much right now. I find that I can't connect emotionally as much with the British folk music I've heard. It feels like there's a detachment there I don't usually notice in folk. I liked "Pass in Time"
The music is pretty, I guess, but her voice is so shrill, it makes it hard to listen to the full album. Again, deeply inessential. I had forgotten about this album completely, and, on re-listening, realized that I hadn’t missed it at all.
2.75
Fine and rather tedious late-90s singer-songwriter stuff. Insantly forgettable, I sort of feel sorry for anyone who has made this a part of their personality as it has none of its own.
Mmmeah
UOOOOOHHHHHHH Was gonna rate it 5/5, but then I looked at her other photos. Guess I'll have to listen to the album after all The first song was good, the rest is significantly worse
I had really high hopes 30 seconds into this album. The instrumental intro on “stolen car” is super post grunge and has a really cool tone. Unfortunately everything is way downhill from there. From then on this album is just so boring. Beth Ortons vocalizations sound to me like she’d rather be anywhere else but a recording studio. Quite the bait and switch, I would say. Nothing really stands out on this album, it’s just aggressively the same the whole way through. Not for me. 2* but only because that initial intro is cool.
Way too slow. Not my jam really. And not a fan of acoustic guitar really.
Dull 90s folk-pop
Generally, just, not my thing. Good country or folk pop, I like some of the drums but I guess I have to be in a right mood to enjoy this kind of music, which I'm not in right now. I would appreciate it if it's a video soundtrack, other than that, emm well...not my thing really. Somewhere around 2.5, I guess.
not my vibe 2/5
Started off pretty good, then quickly became forgettable
Kind of like Natalie Merchant, but more boring. It would probably be easier to relate to if I was a woman. Favorite track: Feel to Believe
I wanted to like this album, but her voice, lyrics, and compositional sound choices didn't move me in the least. None of these songs stood out as something I felt like I needed to hear a second time. I found the album far too long for this genre. Tempos needed more variation to give the songs a little more independence from one another. I am beginning to realize that if an album turns up on here, and it has been either nominated for a Mercury Prize, or even it won the prize, there is a very good chance that I will not enjoy that album. Too often I have found those albums to be incredibly boring, pretentious chores. As boring as a Norah Jones record. I'll take my Suzanne Vega records and let myself out.
Not bad, nothing special. late 90s background music.
Woah, that opening track is crazy good. Not what I was expecting from this album and unfortunately the rest of the tracks don't really deliver anything else like that or as good as that. Stolen Car - 4 / 5
giti bim erste song cool. wie sie d silbe veherteihelt findi nöd so cool. bi mi etz au bi sweetest decline chli am langwiile. sehr adult contemporary. nöd min shit. couldnt cause me harm isch au hert nöd en schöne song? ischs en song? ui ich weiss nöd ob da guet chunt. pass in time isch chli besser als die letste zwei aber immerno snooozefest. kontrabass uf pass in time isch no schön aber de song nimmt mi etz nöd mit. de dude wo die zweit stimm singt passt mega nöd ine. love like laughter isch cuuuute. devil song aber nöd. nai. feel to believe wieder besser. cooli chords ich nimmsere jetz gad ab was sie singt. aber nai hey nai nöd so e guets album findi. es fühlt sich soo lang ah d songs sind lang sie hend kei hooks ich mag ihri stimm nöd meega. und etz de letst song wo en remix isch het sin charme aber jooo äh nai. weg es pasr coole teil keis 1 aber nai.
jöö sie isch ja huere cute ohh ich han gern wie sie singsangt I like it!! d strings findi chli cheesy aber isch ok ohhh aber s solo hani sehr gern, dezue s schlagzüg wo jz nöd spannend isch aber immer e pace druff het sweetest decline arschlangwilig riese liftmusig SIEBE MINUTE BRUDDDDDDER drey: "wie heisst sie?" - "beth orton" - "ich hass sie" reservation central isch na schön es isch halt iwie schad, d musig isch mrngisch voll schön und sie chan mega singe aber wenn halt eifach zu 90% ihschlafmusig ussechunnt passiert bi mier nöd vill WAS ISCH DAS PERKUSSION?????? WTF ok nochli country time blood red river findi seeehr schön ok d then again version vom lied isch na cool? aber then again (heh) halt doch auchli liftmusig??? I don't get it
Peruskauraa, ei jatkoon Berthiltä.
Don’t hate, but don’t really like that much either. It’s fine. Too average, though. 2/5
Central Reservation is the second studio album by Beth Orton, originally released in 1999. Never heard of this artist before. With artists such as Terry Callier and Ben Harper being involved, I was expecting this to be a lot better than it was. A lot of the songs sound the same overall. Like they follow the same format. It's a unique sound, don't get me wrong. The whole trip-hop/folk/electronic vibe works, but not when every song follows that script. I didn't really think much of the lyrical content either. It's a beautifully produced album in that it sounds great. It's just lacking a bit of substance for me.
🥱
It has no sharp edges and pushes no boundaries. Except fro stolen car and the outro it was pretty boring to me. Boring Lyrics and Delivery wise
Liking Stolen Car. Almost Sarah Harmer/McLachlan esque. Nice but again, don't really get why it's a "MUST LISTEN". Starting to get a little bored.
I’ll just start this out by being as honest as I can. I didn’t enjoy this very much. You could honestly stop reading there and I wouldn’t blame you. Truthfully I don’t have a lot to say. Usually what I’m going to write naturally comes to me as I’m listening to a record. But I don’t have much today. I’m going to try my best though. Folktronica, in practice, makes sense. Of course, why wouldn’t two of the most adaptable genres of all time come together at some point? Few spaces have more room for eclecticism than electronic and folk music. But it takes a certain person to really do it right. And I don’t think this album falls into that category. There isn’t a lot going on in each song. This might be more fitting for an afternoon where you just need something to wind down. I’m well aware I make this comparison far, far too often. But I can’t help myself. Beth sounds a lot like Joni Mitchell. When I say that, I mean it in a good way. Being compared to Joni as a female folk singer is like being compared to Bob Dylan as a male folk artist. Except Beth’s voice is not nearly as clean, and there are a couple areas where I felt she sounded off. These songs also drag a lot. I don’t think this really needs to be nearly an hour long. I actually enjoy the songs that focus more on the electronic half more than the folk ones. The tracks where it is mostly just Beth and an acoustic guitar are not all that interesting, especially considering their length. Sometimes there are days where I’m not really given much to work with. So again, I tried my best. One can only hope for a more thought-provoking record tomorrow. Rating: 4/10
This is alright. It’s nice. Kinda pretty sometimes. But nothing to write home about. It’d be better without the breathy singing gimmick. Mostly, the whole thing is just same-y and boring. Don’t hate, but don’t really like that much either. It’s fine. Too average for a list like this, though. 2/5
Music production reminds me a bit of Norah jones but less jazzy and more folky (and a little trip hoppy?). I don’t really like voices that go “alrii-HIGHT”.
This was described as folktronica...but it was just guitars. So...folk? I imagine she would have appeared at Lilith Fair.
Ok. Not very memorable.
Very 90s sounding, I liked the odd jazzy moments that would pop up but otherwise a bit bland.
Wasn't for me
Not for me.
Boring
Meh
2.1 listened 1x
This was definitely nothing like what I was listening to back in '99. There didn't really seem to be anything offensive or attractive about this album and it just kind of ended up as folksy background music
Not a huge fan.
Someone listened to Jagged Little Pill and The Lion and the Cobra and had ideas beyond their means
I'd never heard of Beth Orton before starting this project, but somehow (I can't remember when or how), I heard about this album, and based on what I heard, I got really excited to listen to it. I saw Beth's name come up again yesterday when I was reading about Lilith Fair lineups in the nineties (my album yesterday was Aimee Mann's Whatever), so it's wonderfully appropriate that this would come up today. Unfortunately, this album didn't live up to my high hopes for it. This album does have a couple of things working to its advantage: a unique sound that's well executed through beautiful melodies complimented by some great vocals. But like Aimee Mann yesterday, the sum of the parts just didn't result in anything of substance for me. While those melodies are nice, they don't really do anything over the course of the songs. I could be wrong about that, but to me, it sounded like the main melody of each song just repeated over the course of the song without changing at all. As good as the vocals were, they really didn't carry any emotion behind them. Each song just felt like Beth was saying a lot of words without really saying anything of substance; it felt like she took more and somehow turned it into less. It didn't help that this album was on the longer side, as were some of the songs. I applaud Beth Orton's ambition, and even though this album was pleasant to listen to, it just felt like a lot of fluff.
Noiosina :(
The soundtrack to the season finale of any mid-2000s sitcom without a laugh track that critics used 10¢ SAT words to describe, like “piquant,” “astute,” and “revelatory,” which producers took as a compliment and quoted in bumpers that aired in the commercial break between Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, but which magazine editors meant as a slight. Immaculate production with a 1001 overdubs doesn’t turn sparkling water into wine. Which sucks, because I like all these genres. I like trip-hop, I like ‘90s electronica, I like sophisti-pop, I like singer songwriter Mini Van Mom™️ music. But this is a vanilla waft of emptiness, and its craftsmanship isn’t a replacement for substance. I can see where Orton comes close, like on a song like “Pass in Time.” The issue is that every time she has a cute little song on her hands, she either pollutes it with too many layers that add nothing and distract from the core song, or she draws it out to an exhausting 5 minutes that feels like 20. For most of Central Reservation, she’s doing both. Combined with the fact that her voice just isn’t for me, and that her electronic choices are so amateurish she should be embarrassed that she committed them to wax, I think I could make a legitimate case against this record if it weren't so well-produced. I'm definitely not going out of my way to listen to it, and I would tell a friend to turn it off, but it also wouldn't drive me crazy in the supermarket. But I’d prefer a Dido record before this. In normal people words, this bored me to fucking tears.
Pleasant enough but unremarkable and some of her vocal flourishes are annoying.
don't know why, but I didn't like it...
2,5
Not bad. In some ways this reminds me of a Fiona Apple album. A bit long imo
Can’t muster much of an opinion on this one. Different time and place I guess.
Meh. 90s alt-girl pop.
This was pretty but it’s really not my thing
Chill, but a bit too chill. The tracks sounded very similar and just turned into background noise. Highlights: Stolen Car
Meh….
Sleepy.
OK
https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/twitter_0e20fd2793f617858ae580f542ceada4.jpeg?width=600
I felt like I was trapped in a starbucks.
It’s probably great if you like this kind of thing?
Album didn't hold my interest very long, good singing just a little boring
i’m just not a fan of ballads that sound the same 😔 but the style was good
This is boring
Sounds like a teen movie soundtrack in parts
Not bad - great voice and some good tunes sadly like a lot of this music at the time it was released - a bit pedestrian and middle of the road
Meh, wanna be cranberries? Not really my vibe
Dull, dull, dull.
Kind of boring until she starts taking about sex. Then it's still boring but my interest was peaked for a minute. This record is a bit of a Lilith Fair stereotype which isn't doing it any favors in the artistic integrity department.
Maybe I can't appreciate it but I did not find anything special about this album
I liked the music in the background, but I didn't love her singing voice. It's not bad, but it's just not something I would intentionally listen to again.
Achei completamente básico, sem nada que o destaque. Achei chato e não dei conta de ouvir inteiro.
Eh. It was fine.
Ну, меня наебали с фолктроникой. Очень жёстко наебали. По сути мы получили фолк с электронными барабанами, что еле-еле фолктроникой назовёшь. Причём предыдущий её альбом (Trailer Park) звучит повкуснее, как по мне.
fell asleep during this
Not really my kind of music
😴😴😴
Nice in a British way.
Where do I go where do I begin?
I- I -I hated this album, yeah-ehh-ehhh~ 👎🏽
Not bad, but a lot of filler you have to sit through to get to the good songs. I enjoyed a few songs, especially "Pass In Time" and the grunge/folk elements of the production. However, over an hour long album her voice can start to be hard to listen to at times.
Another day another bland album from this list
Yea....slow, boring and annoying. There won't be a 2nd listen. Immediately jumped to next album. Even more slow and boring. Time to move on to some Smoke and Roses. Ready for the damn weekend. 2
What's with all those Mercury prize "nominations"? They're never about "bad" albums, but a lot of them point to releases that quickly go past their peremption dates. You feel like this Mercury club is a sort of lobby of "critics" getting riled up for no good reason for whatever British fad garners praise on any given year. Case in point, this particular record. "Stolen Car" is a great opener for it, with tense and intricate arrangements. But starting with second cut "Sweetest Decline", you feel like Beth Orton is overplaying her hand as a vocalist--if you didn't feel it in that opener already. Besides, if the string section is rather impressive on that second track, the rest of the instrumentation is just bland, innocuous, or simply lacking in clear stakes or gripping harmonic progressions. The third track is even worse, and if the fourth is a little more subtle and moody, you still have Beth's voice going into meandering circles, just like in most of the songs before and after. It's as if she "forces" the inclusion of her stilted, unimaginative melodic lines into the uninteresting templates of those compositions--as if to infuse some life into them at the eleventh hour. Yet what comes out of this forceful inclusion is even more awkwardness. Whether folk or "folktronica", you have the same sort of painful self-conscious posturing in the vocal performance supposedly carrying those tunes. Such type of performance also kinda ruins the old folk shenanigans of a track such as "Pass In Time". Like a woman's version of Van Morrisson's *Astral Weeks*, actually underlining all the ways in which the supposed "soulful" improvisational intents of the original have been overrated for decades. The title-track surely has all the right atmospheric touches. But the one that follows (produced by Everything But The Girl's Ben Watt--a cheesy act for sure) has all the wrong ones. It's more awkward vocals over a backing track devoid of charm and personality--a soundtrack fitting to a Starbuck Coffee salon. I could go on like about all the other tracks, but honestly, why should I bother? You want transcendent performances by a stellar female vocalist who knows her way around a *good* folk-rock composition, and who can give them all the authentic feelings one is looking for in that sort of umbrella genre? Go and listen to Big Thief (or solo albums by her frontperson Adrienne Lenker). Here's the real, heartbreaking deal. Not this self-indulgent drivel. 2/5 for the purposes of this list. Which translates to a 7/10 grade (5+2) following more general purposes. This thing is competently written and recorded at least, even if the vocal performance and artistic intent are awkward. Now can we move on to real "essential" albums? Please? Number of albums left to review: 237 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 330 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 195 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 245 (including this one)
Meh. I think she's probably good at what she does, but I don't love what she does. Songs all sound quite similar. Don't love her singing style. I was ready for the album to be over before it actually was. 2.5
It was okay but I'll never revisit this album
Not my jam at all. Mostly slow and overlong, but she has a decent voice at points. Coffee house music, pretty meh. Fav tracks: Stolen Car, Central Reservation
I can think of quite a few other albums that should be on this list more than this one. It's not bad - she's clearly talented, and I liked the electronic bits of her songs. But I wanted her to commit to one or the other, since both made the album too forgettable to me.
This is like a mediocre Dolores O’Riordan solo album. There are a couple okay songs but most drag in too long and don’t go anywhere. I’d say just replace this with a Cranberries album and call it a day.
I would have rated this a 3, but the album is just so damn long for no reason. A lot of the songs in the middle just slush together. Beth Orton's voice is good though, it's just an overall boring album. Highlights: 1, 10, and 11.
whatever
Lacks the soulful beauty of folk and the spacey, atmospheric capabilities of electronica. In the end, it sounded more like a bland pop album than either folk or electronica.
Het eerste nummer klinkt wel interessant en maakt nieuwsgierig naar de rest. Maar het is me verder toch een saai geheel zeg. Ze kan zingen hoor en het zit goed in elkaar. Het zal de liefhebber vast raken. Maar zelf val ik hierbij in slaap. Een dutje is natuurlijk wel fijner dan Frans Bauer luisteren.
# 182 : MEH! Found myself nodding off during this, even had to skip some dull tracks. Nothing in here does it for me. Rather ordinary.
Stört nicht weiter …
I would be pretty impressed if my friend recorded this album in their home studio. What am I missing?
Quelques moments intéressants mais c'est majoritairement très beige et innofensif. Clairement un autre exemple de biais UK. 4/10
Probably good for what it is, just not my vibe.
Trying too hard to be second coming if J. Mitchell and Joan Baez
Interesting voice but all the songs merged together into one amorphous blob of boring.
Similar to my experience with a recent album we reviewed (Alannis Morrisette), I bought this when it was released and had an immediate negative reaction. I couldn't listen to it without getting uneasy — something about her vocal delivery was discomforting and I never played it again (despite Marianne being a fan of the album). I groaned when I saw this was included in the 1001 list, and had that same reaction when I saw it was served up today. I'll say, I didn't have an immediate recoil on this listen, I do like the grooves and some of the playing is really good, but by the time "Pass In Time" came on, I was finding her vocals difficult to endure. The harmony with whomever is singing on that made it worse, and I bailed. So, a 2-star might be harsh, but if I can't get past the halfway mark before seeking respite, what's a reviewer to do?
eh, it has some moments. Nothing really sticking to me Will I listen to again: 1%
Suzanne Vega meets Van Morrison und langweilen sich.
Schöne Stimme aber ich fand es sooo laaaangweilig.
Moaning, droning, coffee shop guitar noises. "Stolen Car" and "Stars All Seem to Weep" are the only standout moments.
Just ok.
meh
Kiltti Alanis Morrisette. Vähän liian kiltti - haluaisin hänen vaativan huomiotani. Musiikki vähäeleistä, oikeastaan mitäänsanomatonta, mutta laulu on oikein kivaa.
Sorry. But no. The vocal style is really annoying and distracting to me, maybe there is good songwriting but I can’t tel.
Soporífero
if you like lightheaded music with an interesting voice you may like it - not my music of choice
Okay
Again, bored. Maybe I need a break ahahahaha
Interesting mix of folk and electronica. Don't love either genre alone. Together they're not any better.
Ok album. Easy to listen to. Not highly motivated to hear it again.
Meh
I’ve always found the tendency to describe any sort of music that happens to feature acoustic instrumentation anywhere as ‘Folk’ pretty disingenuous, ignoring the substance of actual Folk music in favour of a substance level aesthetic description. The example set by this album is particularly egregious. It’s ‘folktronica’ which in this case seems to be typically late 90’s Pop with an occasional acoustic guitar and synthesised bouzouki. The worst tracks for it actually come towards the end, which mostly seem to be a simple guitar part backed by a classical string quartet. If anyone can explain to me what’s folky about a string quartet, I’d quite happily listen, but it seems to me so stereotypically Pop that I cannot understand how anyone could overlook it. My problems with it’s genre classification aside, I’m also not sold on this album as music. The more explicitly 90’s Pop tracks are awful, and the other tracks go on for too long. They’re all nearly or over 5 minutes, and so frequently repeat the trick of reaching the end of the written verses and then ad-libbing on the chorus for a minute or so before fading out that it becomes cliched. I was aware of it as a trend by track two, and it just kept going throughout the record. The only song I thought the trick worked on was, ironically, the longest one, Pass In Time, which at least had another singer for Beth Orton to play off. I’m also not a huge fan of Orton’s voice. She’s got the habit of over-pronouncing vowels and syllables, fake lilting Irish brogue, and fluty breathy timbre that has plagued this sort of ‘serious’ female singing since, well the 90’s. Is this the originator? Did Beth Orton start this trend that I loathe? The saving grace of the album are the lyrics which are, if cliched, at least interesting. But it isn’t enough to make me see past my dislike of the singing or my problems with the production. Put somebody willing to cut songs down in charge, and get her to stop with the affectations, and this’d be passable. As it is, two stars
The vocals are great and most of the songs are decent individually, but 58 minutes without much change of tempo or tone left me bored; the end couldn’t come soon enough. Pass in Time, much like the album as a whole, goes on far too long without justification.
Amazing voice, forgettable album.
I was listening to this for what felt like almost an hour, and I was only on the THIRD SONG? Losing my mind listening to this shit
Mediokre Folktronic.
This was difficult to get through.
Meh
Pleasant enough voice but not really my thing.
Rather average 90s singer songwriter stuff. Mostly was a slog for me.
I didn't get anything from this album. She's a talented songwriter, but the breathy, lazy singing just wasn't my jam. There's so much flourish in each song it's hard to tell what's actually going on.
Bit boring, was waiting for it to warm up, then it ended.
Never heard this before but it is very reminiscent of late 90s early 2000s output by Dido, Cranberries, etc. I can easily see this paving the way for artists in the like Phoebe Bridgers. Key tracks: Stolen Car, Sweetest Decline, Central Reservation (both versions), Stars All Seem to Weep. The highs here are great but it does seem a bit bloated.
Took a bit but I started to enjoy it towards the middle
Boring album that blurs the line between boring folk and boring electronica. 4/10
Trop tristounet à mon goût, mais ya du monde qui vont trouver leur compte
2/5
Couldn't get into it.
Not too bad, but kind of boring after a while.
Pretty meh on this. It's fine, it's not amazing and it's not horrible. Perfectly fine as some background fodder. Nothing stood out to me though and I will not listen to it again.
I had never heard of this artist or album before. It isn't awful but not great. It is merely there. It certainly sounds like a 90s album. The album is just there. Maybe little bit of Alanis Morissette.
Poppy singer songwriter stuff. Not terrible but a bit boring.
Niet slecht, maar singer-songwriter, ik vind het toch niet zo leuk. Dit album is mij iets te rustig, niet slecht hoor, maar gewoon niet mijn ding. Misschien als de zangeres wat leuker zong? **
Forgettable
Nice mellow melancholy, but a bit repetitive
This is some warm bathtub and a razor shit.