Central Reservation

This was fine.

Eh it was alright overall, nothing inspiring me enough to listen to it again.

Pleasant, a little edgy sound like Alanis Morissette

It takes a while to accelerate but, when it does, it doesn't let up. Beth Orton props herself up as not only a worthy successor to the likes of John Martyn, Sandy Denny and Nick Drake but as a towering figure in turn of the century British "folktronica" in her own right. Central Reservations could be overflowing in regards to praise for this album but it is well deserved. Favorites: Stolen Car, Pass in Time, Central Reservation (original), Stars All Seem to Weep, Love Like Laughter, Blood Red River, Devil Song.

Gute Musik, gerne mehr.

Enjoyed a lot

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.

She has a beautiful voice and some of the arrangements are lovely however nothing is memorable.

The Stars All Seem to Weep when this album is playing. It’s So Much More than just a Pass In Time. The Sweetest Decline of notes across my eardrums was delightful and Couldn’t Cause Me Harm.

Amazing voice, forgettable album.

I'm not sure what I was expecting out of a "folktronica" album; acoustic guitar backed by beeps and boops?; but this really surpassed whatever those expectations might have been. Occasionally sluggish but often beautiful. A real treat that I will definitely revisit when the mood is right. Best song: Sweetest Decline

A nice singer with some thoughtful songs. It's not as complex as PJ Harvey, not as lush as Feist but also no dream pop either - but then more than that. It's an easy listen without it being easy listening. I enjoyed this rather approachable listen.

Nice one

Sounds good but never really gets going for me

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

Thought the first track was fantastic. The rest was a nice listen and I can definitely see why it got some nominations. Dragged a bit in places, though.

Nice voice. Relaxing music.

Mediokre Folktronic.

One of the albums that has stuck with me since I heard it the first time going through parts of this list. The melodies are reminiscent of Joni Mitchell with the atmospheric electronic elements really helping setting the mood. Cut out a few tracks, like 'Stars All Seem To Weep', and this is a 5/5 record to me.

I’d heard the name Beth Orton before but this was the first time I actually listened to her music. There are some obvious comparisons to Joni Mitchell, but Orton still manages to stand out as her own entity entirely. Everything just works and the compositions are works of art. I would probably trim a few of the songs, but Central Reservation is as close to a 5/5 record you will hear without it actually being one.

Really liked this. Never heard of her before, will listen to more.

Super Chill and the autoplay went into a 3+hr coffee shop Jazz mix.

A little slow but wasn’t a bad album to listen to

I've listened to Pass in Time quite a few times since listening through this album! Quality album overall I thought. Slow, melodic, pretty, and a singer with a very pretty voice as well.

Good discovery

Great!

Great discovery

This was a delight to listen to this and much better than I guessed it would be. Not all songs are as good as others, but the album has quite a few hidden jewels.

This was difficult to get through.

I really didn't like this album. Her voice is so annoying. She sang a song called couldn't cause me harm, well she did a lot of harm to my ears. The songs were all dreary and miles to long. I would rather get tortured by the devil then have to listen to his album again.

Really chill when nice, gave me Joni Mitchell vibes

Good

Meh

4.2 - another lovely album. Loved her voice, which some might not.

This was good. A slight lull in the middle but very few imperfections. One song kinda sounded like All Saints to me, which was weird but good. 4.2/5

Pleasant enough voice but not really my thing.

4/5 I like her vocal timbre and how emotive she is. Enjoyable listen.

3.3 - Somehow when Beth Orton sings, I imagine a sad swan honking. Though its voice may be clear and buzzing, its vocal expression is hampered fatally by a crude bill that can only open and close, and cannot properly enunciate the words to its sad musings.

I liked this.

Corky little bitch! Not bad.

I loved trailer park but this is okay. Love her voice

A nice singer-songwriter album. I liked the combo of folk and electronic! Some of the songs started sounding the same after a while.

Best British Female.. siinäs kuulitte..ei siihen muuta tarvi kun rehtiä laulua lurautusta. oooo-oooo yeah yeah yeah.... ehkä yksi albumeista ikinä... ikimaailmassa.. jos olisi runoilijoitten koulunpenkillä istunut, ehkä yksi parhaimmista silloin. valitettavasti kansan koulua ilmeisesti käyty siellä pahemmin opitto...tarinankerrontaa...deep themes...incroyable... stolen car

Not bad but not something that I will be checking out again even as a folk fan, just doesn't stand out.

Favourite songs: Pass In Time, Stolen Car, Blood Red River, Devil Song, Sweetest Decline, Love Like Laughter Least favourite songs: Stars All Seem to Weep 4/5

2.5 i keep getting very average albums. i just have no especially strong feelings either way towards this. wouldn't choose to listen to it again but i didn't dislike it and definitely wouldn't call it bad. the one 2-star review that calls this album inoffensive sums it up very well - it's difficult to hate and even more difficult to love.

Sweet. An underrated beautiful voice and sound.

Rather average 90s singer songwriter stuff. Mostly was a slog for me.

I just found it mildly irritating at the beginning, by the end I wanted it so badly to be over. Super freaking dull.

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.

absolute HEAT! - 10/10

This really surprised me. It's not my normal fare, but I found myself captivated. Best new discovery so far, just over 200 albums in!

Loved this album, Pass in Time stands out for me. At first I definitely thought she gave discount Norah Jones vibes but Beth has her own unique style which really grew on me!! just what I needed, 4.2*

good!! not great tho lol 2.5* but im feeling generous so lets make it 3*

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

7/10. I liked this, she has a nice voice and the writing was great too

Boring album that blurs the line between boring folk and boring electronica. 4/10

A really good album, with some excellent highlights. While some tracks didn't reach the heights the best tracks did, overall this was a project that I fully plan on listening to (most of it) again

Folktrónica pone... Ni fu ni fa.

Pretty nice and relaxing. Vocals are really good the strong Irish inflection which was refreshing. 6/10

A blast from the past for me. It holds up!

I really wanted to like this, so much. for someone I’ve never heard of, it had the perfect pedigree: 90s, trip hop. Lady singer. But although it sounds nice, sometimes very, very nice, most of the songs are a minute to 90 seconds too long, and I don’t really love her voice.

Trop tristounet à mon goût, mais ya du monde qui vont trouver leur compte

Nice voice, interesting lyrics. Liked the song Stolen Car

This is just such a gorgeous thing. Even today, almost 25 years since I first heard it, 'Sweetest Decline' and 'Central Reservation' can still send shivers down my back and move me to tears

This was really nice. Fav track: Stolen Car 3.5/5

Some nice songwriting here. Lyrics were subtle but observant. Though for me, everything just felt very staid - production and vocals just a little dry. Feel like it might work better as a live recording or sumn. Fave track: Feel to Believe

Didn't connect heaps with this record. There are moments that nearly reel me in with some interesting beats or rhythms, but did find this pretty bland for the most part. Orton has a great voice, and the sincerity of her tone and lyric are appealing, but I don't think this will be one I'll be putting on all that much. Two and a half. Fave track: Central Reservation

nice

2/5

A bit boring but charming

Solid album. Excellent vocals.

Cool and dusky, like a humid evening by the lake with your special person.

Enjoyed the presentation... definitely a folk indie feel

Some songs were really great, but it also had some boring stuff. Most songs drug on too long.

Couldn't get into it.

Gud

Her voice reminds me of Natalie Merchant. Sometimes her style reminds me of Joni Mitchell. She has a great command of voice and a distinct sound. There is a very loose structure to the lyrics that lends to a meandering vocal style, which doesn't really appeal to me. Even though I don't see myself seeking out her work, I know she has a lot of talent. All in all, a decent album, even if it isn't my cup of tea.

Classic

Pleasant.

it’s ok but it gets pretty boring after five or so songs. did noooot need to be an hour long.

Stolen Car is thrust into my Spotify listening quite frequently. Beth Orton is good for a few awesome songs per album. This is her second or third best album for me. Trailer Park FTW. This did prompt me to listen to her latest album, so that is a bonus of some sort.

Some serious 1999-2001 memories for me here,my darling wife used to have this on high rotation. I liked some of the songs then and still now but this isn't my go-to music.

This felt like the 90s version of Joan Baez but even though I didn't really enjoy Joan Baez that much, I thought that this was pretty good. It was a nice mix of singer-songwriter and 90s indie that I think blended together better than I thought it would. The last track was good but overall I don't really have a song that stands out above the rest.

Soothing soft rock and ballads.

This was quite a surprise, a very mellow and relaxing singing voice and songs, tad bit long

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.

Beautiful

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.

Allt í lagi.

Poppy singer songwriter stuff. Not terrible but a bit boring.

Never heard of this singer before. Nice easy listening.

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? **

Can't think of any other artists at the middle of the electronica( )folk venn diagram, and it doesn't seem like it should work, but this album pulls it off perfectly, setting strummy acoustic guitar singer-songwriter fare to Portishead sounding high-hat dominant electronic beats. Fantastic production overall, each instrument, sample, and effect comes into its own, letting the singing star and tie it all together. Like the best bits of Astral Weeks remade with a 90s pallete of trip-hop, dub & some krautrock. A few songs have some great lead guitar work with mildly-overdriven slides and volume pedals to create a swelling swirling edgeless shoegaze sound. Some tracks are more raw stripped down acoustic songs - forceful vocals, loud/quiet dynamics, finger-picked guitars - these are less distinctive in terms of production, but still have the unique voice. She has a distinctive voice and delivery; she hits the highs but lives in a breathier heady middle range, fading out at the end of phrases, the melodies disappearing into themselves, peaking with emotive variations on the hooks. A beautiful and nearly Sui Generis album.

Really quite pleasant

Forgettable

I’d never listened to her before and enjoyed this album. Folky, but with a quite modern feel. I also listened to her previous album as well.

interesting mix of folk, lounge, and electronic music. gorgeous voice, somewhere between natalie merchant and sarah mclachlan. very nice.

Yeah, great voice, nice mellow tunes. I dig it.

This was t that bad in a late 90’s chick kind of way.

It's a pretty perfect three, because I like it, but not enough to really care about it. There's not really anything I dislike here, but there's not enough that I like to make it a four. It's perfectly okay. My favourite song was Stars All Seem To Weep.

Nice mellow melancholy, but a bit repetitive

This one was a big surprise, since I never heard of this artists before. Definitely listening to the whole thing again.

Another very Lilith Fair situation

Hier leben die Folk singer-songwriter der 1960er und 70er weiter durch Akustik Gitarren, melodischen Gesang und den gelegentlichen Einsatz von Streichern. Nur der seltene Einsatz einer distorted E-Gitarre, die unverkennbaren, aber auch etwas fehlplatzierten 90ies drum beats in wenigen Liedern, das stellenweise aggressivere Strumming und der überwiegend melancholische Ton verraten das Album als Kind der 1990er. Schön emotional und recht abwechslungsreich. Alles in allem ein sehr gelunges Album.

Sehr gute vibes, leider teilweise schroffe Übergänge zwischen Songs.

3,5

seems great but not my genre

great album, I love her since 1999

Enjoyable without being mind blowing

This is some warm bathtub and a razor shit.

Me gustó. La primera mitad del disco, sobre todo.

A really nice surprise. I had never heard of Beth Orton before listening to this album, but within 20 seconds i knew i was gonna like this album. At times it reminds me of Aimee Mann. Highlight is Feel to Believe. Great lyrics, great singing, really good. The only criticism of the album would be that the bonus version of Central Reservation (the Then Again Version) is probably better than any song on the album. A really great version of the song, and it made me think that an album more in the style of this remix, would be even better than the final product Feeling a Very High THREE or a VERY LOW FOUR... 4 i think

Boring? Might require extra lidtening

Cool smokey and catchy

This is sonically pleasant, with nice instrumentation and vocals, but the song writing doesn't set me on fire. Perhaps a grower. The title track is probably my favourite.

Okay, but a bit poppy for me

Decent singer/songwriter album. Nothing special. Fav tracks: Stolen Car, Stars All Seem to Weep, Feel to Believe Least fav: Pass In Time 3/5

Great voice. But much at times. Pleasant folk-pop-electronica.

Sure, this was fine. No magic IMHO, though.

sweet

I LOVE

I didn't like (or remember anything about) this the first time I heard it, but my most recent listening revealed the greatness of 'Pass In Time', and that's a great song.

Amazing album

Not my kind of music, I find it slow and uninteresting.

Right place right time for this record. I was in the mood for something chill and Beth Orton delivered. 3/5

Inoffensive music is fine sometimes - I don’t always need to be offended. There’s a fine line between inoffensive and boring though, and I feel like this album treads that line. There were moments here and there that I appreciated but the album peaked at track 1 for me and then dropped off.

Did not even realise when it ended and went to Portishead (thanks spotify). Not bad, not good. Very background music

4 Like Joni Mitchell but actually enjoyable

Eh, average. Nothing that really stood out about it too much for me.

Managed about 15 seconds. He voice and annoying affliction did my tits in.

I've heard her collaborations with The Chemical Brothers but never listened to her own music. Some really great production and instrumentation here, and she has a great voice. It gets a bit hokey for me at times but overall I enjoyed it.

5/10 Bien commencé, s'est vite essouflé. Rien qui a capté mon intention. du folk ben basic

She has a really good voice and it was a good break from the hell week we’ve had. It was a nice short ish length all in all. Wasn’t the most exciting.

Great driving opening cut with "Stolen Car" - man, I don't think a good opening track can be understated - you can almost go anywhere you want after that, at least for a 3 or 4 song run. And it definitely dips a little after that - "Sweetest Decline" is a bit torch song like, and it's good but had *this* been the opener the entire model shifts. Overall a really nice listen, although I suppose in keeping with my opening statement I'd have loved more up-tempo songs; most are a bit relaxed (although each of high quality). Highlights: "Stolen Car" "So Much More" "Stars All Seem to Weep" TL;DR: Easy to listen to, would have liked more energetic songs, but overall good work. 7/10 3 stars.

I'm not really sure what the appeal is here. None of the songs grabbed me lyrically or musically. Pleasant enough but that is low praise

Stolen Car is brilliant, the rest meh!

So Beth, what separates you from the countless other female singer-songwriters out there? And if there is something, why didn't you let it shine through here? The late 90s gave birth to so much of this beige music (and not just female either, I mean Badly Drawn Boy and David Gray and Damien Rice and Ryan Adams and everyone else). It's music that belongs in romcoms and doesn't do a whole lot else. Dido was a lot better. 2.

I like this, and think it'll grow more on me with a few more listens. It's in your Fiona Apple / Alanis Morissette wheelhouse - something that comes from folk but with a lot more fun and oomph behind it. It's not quite as full on as Alanis, but it's definitely slightly prettier music, and despite not having the emotional volume keeps the range. A downbeat album, probably not one for one of the hottest days of the year, but one that I'll add to my rotation. 3/5, lacking something really standout to push it to a 4.

Boring

Solid little ballad album, the first song is a banger

This one dragged for me, I need some pep with my airy ballads

This was an enjoyable album that is very much in the “solo female singer songwriter in the 90s” genre. I don’t think this broke new ground really, but she’s got a nice folksy voice and I liked some of her darker compositions

Liked it less when I realized she wasn't American

There’s a rainy sort of melancholy here that I liked, but it didn’t really hook me in too much. I feel like this is the type of album that could grow and grow on me if I had it on cd in my car on repeat, but for now I feel like I haven’t worn it in enough for it to get that comfy.

Perfect rainy album, with a hair of bloat.

A very comforting listen, a nice blend of styles and a good voice. That said, the songwriting is sort of forgettable and the record doesn't leave much in the way of a lasting impression. Nonetheless, a very pleasant background-listening album.

This album sounds like something I've heard before. "The Stolen Car" video -- lol I had that outfit in 1999! White cardigan and a black silk embroidered skirt. This feels tinged with nostalgia and I can't quite my finger on what it sounds like. Definitely hear Sublime in this album...maybe when I shouldn't? I liked "Stars All Seem to Weep" for that familiarity to something that is more of a haunting. I don't think I'd listen to this again. I experienced it for sure. Reminds me of 1999. And then not.

Your typical lilithfaire stuff. Inoffensive to the ears, but it never moves beyond memorable musically.

Production sounds like consistency itself, putting not too much forward but the voice most of all. As such, Central Reservation is a particular intervention in the vaguely electric chill niche, but not one which stakes much space for itself.

Someone could swap the vocals between any of the tracks and nobody would notice.

Beautiful vocals - missed most of the lyrics and definitely a second listen required. Great mix of electronic/folk in the first half of the album, then dropping down to just simple guitar and vocals.

As good as Joni Mitchell's Blue. Definitely a more enjoyable listen. Beth Orton should have been huge.

Je me rappelle plus mais je crois que c'était pas mal

le club des albums du matin a une nouvelle recrue☀️

This singing sounds exactly like Katie's. Sweetest Decline is a cool downbeat song. This is a very nice downbeat album, though it's something that doesn't call attention to itself. Blood Red River grabbed me. I would add this to the stable to come with.

Some good songs, just not really into folk.

Some super good songs here, a bunch of kinda meh ones too. Solid 3 I think. 🤷

Enjoyed this had a good rhythm throughout. She has a pretty voice but the album didn't just rely on that as it had some interesting instrumental backing her vocals. Folk but has electronics supporting it which is different but works well. Standout

first listen quirky little folksy thing

This is an odd album. It seems like if Norah Jones was a bit more experimental and less poppy and catchy. The songs are very 90s Esque with the style and melody. Overall it never really got me excited but there were a couple songs that were more enjoyable than others. It definitely feels dated and doesn’t give me much to want to revisit. 5.3/10

Sometimes interesting electronic textures can’t save this collection of Lilith Fair-light gloomy tunes.

Better than much of the 90s singer songwriter music out there, but still not music I really connect with.

completely new artist to me, and a real revelation. i love the folk-electronic anachronism of the whole thing, and combined with a lovely singing tone and really beautifully bleak lyrics, this was just great.

I'm really wanting to give this album some praise, but I cannot figure out why it made this list. It's just another stock alt 90s record. This was a dime a dozen in its time, and I can't say anything special jumps out to me about this one.

My Central Reservation in rating this album any higher than 2 stars is based on a complete lack of memorability.

Good album overall. Nothing to memorable though

This was sometimes quite lovely, sometimes a little tedious. I probably didn't give it enough time to sink in, so it didn’t make much of an impression today, but it was a fine enough listen.

I found this album to be an absolute delight. Gorgeous. Now, on the first listen there was a window of two or three tracks that started to drag on me just a little...I think it seemed like too much melancholy or something. On the second and third listen, I didn't have the same reaction, so I guess it was my changing mood.

Pleasant music, nice voice. Would enjoy it as a party was winding down with folks sitting around quietly talking, not quite wanting to call it a night yet.

Thank you random number generator for steering away from the hateful gangster rap I'm still trying to forget and providing this welcome change of pace. I was immediately in love with that opening track, and then it was mostly songs to love and a few to like unfolding before me. What a lovely, jazzy way to spend the afternoon.

De openingstrack en Love Like Laughter vind ik best nice. Het album bevat wel een paar zeiknummers waarbij haar stem gaat irriteren, bijvoorbeeld het ruim 7 minuten durende 'Pass in Time' en 'Blood Red River'. Ik vind het niet slecht, maar ik hou er gewoon niet zo van. 2 sterrekes voor mij.

If the color beige was an album.

I like this but not quite enough to buy it

It's a well trodden genre and dozens have done it better, including artistes before Beth

This is absolutely beautiful. I like it like I like meditation - it's so beautiful and calming and I really hope I can dedicate more time to it... but I'll probably end up going high intensity as I usually do. But would love to listen again 😁

Nej tack

Great vocals and great vibes!

Excellent if you're a fan of Beth Orton, but for me it all becomes a little cloying, although without ever degenerating into tweeness. Overall, it is good but never, to these ears, great. It would benefit from being shorter and tighter.

I listened to this last week and I don't really want to listen again because now I'm behind on albumssss. I really like one track by Beth Orton called She Cries Your Name, I had it on a playlist when I was a teenager and it reminds me of some nice memories. God knows how I came across just this one song. I really like the vibes of that track it evokes a lot of different feelings and has a cool sound with a really nice guitar riff. Alas, this track is not on the album Central Reservation and nothing on this album stood out to me at all!!! Maybe I'll spend some time listening to her other work but this album wasn't doing much for me. Nice sounds but nothing jumping out as that interesting.

OK I'm sorry but this album made me so angry. Needless to say I did not like it at all. Beige wishy washy irritating repetitive songs that lacked flare or creativity. Lame lyrics and irritating singing, which I think was a style of the time. A bit Dido? Anyway, I'm sorry as I think other people might describe this as inoffensive, because it's not objectively horrible music is it? But that's what did offend me. A big no

Love Beth Orton, gonna try and see her at Glastonbury. Great album.

Pretty decent, low 4.

Lilith Fair-core. I don’t say that disparagingly. I first encountered Beth Orton when she replaced Liz Phair as the support on Alanis Morrisette’s recent world tour which I found a huge disappointment. I now put that down to her not being an artist well suited to massive venues. This album is a masterpiece. Listened to it walking through Glasgow Green and noticing the trees were all finally coming back. Pure bliss.

I like the idea of Beth Orton but this just does not excite me.

I came into this listening not expecting much because I am not a huge fan of folk music per se but my expectations were completely blown out of the water. I had never heard of Beth; I never had even been suggested this album. I was taken aback by how enchanting the her vocals were on this album on song like "Stolen Car", "Couldn't Cause Me Harm" and "Stars All Seem to Weep". The instrumentation on this album was excellent as well. All in all this album has no bad songs to me. My favorites were definitely the three I mentioned above as well as the title track, "Pass in Time", "Love Like Laughter" and "Feel to Believe" but as I mentioned before there are not any bad songs. I would give this albums a 9/10 or even a 9.5/10.

Snooze fest

Best Song: Stolen Car. Lovely lyrics, nice soft alt-rock. Worst Song: Central Reservation (Original Version). Not terrible, but I think the second version is just better, making this one a bit odd to include. Overall: Easy listening. Could imagine turning this on in the background while working or commuting.

La consagració artística de Beth Orton. Bon disc, que per mí aconsegueix els millors moments quan s'envolta de bases i samples que en el seu format més purament acústic. El millor exemple és la versió de 'Central Reservation' amb les aportacions de Ben Watt, en contraposició amb la versió original. I on més brilla el disc és a 'Stars All Seem to Weep', una cançó magistral com a fusió de l'univers del folk i l'electrònica. Llàstima que no es prodigui gaire més en aquest aspecte

Like Björk, but without being weird. Like Katie Melua, but trying too hard. Like Phoebe Bridgers, but without knowing how to sing. It gets a bit better further into the album to be fair. 3/5.

Her voice is really good and it was quite relaxing to have on for the drive but the songs were too forgettable to merit anything higher than a 3

Pretty good, very relaxing and she has a great voice.

A truly unique singing voice. Great album to smoke a joint, grab a drink and chill

Reminds me of Missy Higgins' voice. Fine but nothing to write home about for me. 3.5

This is the first time listening to an album on this list from an artist I previously knew nothing about revealed something I really enjoyed. This is a beautiful album, I was particularly taken with Stolen Car. It feels earnest in a way most albums just aren't able to achieve.

Very good

Beautiful

Just boring

A nice album, reminded me a lot of the PJ Harvey album I heard before, but with a couple less memorable tracks. I really like Stars All Seem to Weep

Very chill, but has lots of generic floaty oohs and ahhs which I don't rate tbh, and they piano/keyboard they used sounds pretty bad Also singing somewhat out of tune on purpose seems to be a theme here Overall feels really dated, not sure I get it 1.5/5

I liked this - the guitars were rough around the edges in a good way and creative, and the songs were poetic and honest

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

I don't know why but I found this album so boring, I barely got through it.

3 Nothing too exciting, but nice.

Boring. Did not finish.

Boring, just like every other singer-songwriter album in this experiment

хз

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!

My wife loves this album. I’m less enamoured of the folksy musing though I recognise the musicianship on display.

Lost touch with Beth Orton after her early success but on this record I should have stuck with her. Really enjoyable, thoughtful and tuneful stuff. Best song Stolen Car.

Listen

Not bad, just a little too sedate for my likings. I think I’m failing to hear what’s special about this album because it sounded like generic indie singer-songwriter to me.

Nice enough sound

Great voice. No expectations, very pleasant listening. I don't know anything about her EDM roots but this made me curious for more.

Extremely soft, it's rich with smooth and nice melodies. Most songs take their time but almost all of them reward with substantial dividends. There's an icy, mournful and timeless quality to Orton's voice, particularly when the tracks are more natural sounding. I don't think there was a weak moment, save for my opinion of the ending of "Devil Song" being slightly unfulfilling. Beth fits my tastes, and I blame my ignorance for letting her early efforts pass me by.

I didn't find anything particularly memorable on this album after Stolen Car. Just a wave of dirge-adjacent folk tracks that all bleed together.

Non offensive, but boring. Like an Ali Express version of Shawn Colvin.

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

A lovely album. Beth Orton sings with an emotional depth that is extremely satisfying. The arrangements are pretty spare and organic sonuding and help to keep her voice and lyrics the star of the show. There is some lovely acoustic guitar and the whole album is beautifully rendered. 4 stars

Rakastan tätä levyä. Olin unohtanut, miten paljon. Kuuntelin Beth Ortonia paljon vuosituhannen vaiheessa ja vähän myöhemmin, sittemmin siirryin kuuntelemaan enemmän Cat Poweria, joka osui mulla ikään kuin samaan tarpeeseen. Ei siis mitenkään niin, että Cat Power olisi mitenkään parempi kuin Beth Orton, lähinnä sattumaa tämä. Ehkä Beth Orton on jopa hieman parempi.

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.

Nimikkokappale hieman muita kiinnostavampi, muuten varsin tylsäksi jäävä levy. Lisäksi tuotannon puolella kauheita ysärijuttuja, jotka rasauttaa vieläkin. 2/5

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

Very nice, but washed over me. Nothing to make me sit up and listen, no standout songs, just consistently nice.

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.

I liked a few of the more folky songs, but I didn't care for the songs that sounded like basic somber female singer-songwriter stuff. Favorite was Blood Red River or Devil Song

Fajne

onako

Beze ali okej

Gave it an honest listen....just don't get it....

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Sweetest Decline (2) 2 - Central Reservation (6) 3 - Feel to Believe (11)

Slow

1.5.

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.

My favorite of hers. She had a unique and distinctive sound in her early stuff that she went away from in her later work.

Hard Pa$$

In 1967, the French literary theorist Roland Barthes published an essay called La mort de l'auteur, known in English as Death of the Author, where he argued that the traditional view of the author's intentions and biography providing the definitive reading of the text was false, that the author's life and claimed purpose for the text were irrelevant to criticism, and that the multiplicity of interpretations a reader could derive should hold precedent (if an author does give their intention regarding a text, then all they are doing is proving their interpretation as a reader, which is prima facie no better or worse than any other reader). To illustrate this, consider the hypothetical of a monkey bashing away at a typewriter whose random stabs produce a variation on Hamlet where (spoiler) Hamlet survives. Should we take into account the monkey's mindset when it wrote this distorted masterwork? If you try and say yes to that, you're just being a dick. Anyway, Beth Orton. I could not place the name Beth Orton at all before I received this album for review. It turns out she had guest-sung on a few dance tracks, and that she had achieved some critical kudos during the late 90s with her fusion of folk and electronica, or folktronica if you will. Now, the idea of folktronica seems one of those ideas which for the first second seems clever but then suddenly becomes cringeworthy; funk metal is a more extreme example of this phenomenon. The reason folktronica becomes embarrassing so quickly is because of its advertised cleverness: "oh look," it says, "I'm such a smart merger of two disparate genres! I combine the lyricism and naturalness of folk with the starkness and prescience of electronica! I could very well be the music of the Moon!" Yes, in that it's as sterile and as lifeless as the Moon. Now this album doesn't feature that much electronica, with most tracks performed on acoustic instruments. If asked, I would say the album aims for the sound of Nick Drake's Bryter Layter, which is Nick Drake's warmest album. But that's where the issues of the album rise to the surface. You can remember Nick Drake's voice and songs. Beth Orton's voice, by no means bad, isn't distinctive enough make the songs memorable. I've listened to the fucker three times, and I could not tell you one lyric from it beyond the word "the", let alone any thematic conceits. Along with that, the songs themselves are not distinguishable from each other. So we get these folky sounds that drift along for an hour to no real goal. One review I saw on this site said the reviewer neither liked nor disliked it, but "just... experienced it". Which, if you think about it, results in this being an ambient album. It's an album to put on in the background, to become wallpaper or recirculated air. I don't suppose for a picosecond that this was intended as an ambient album, but as a sincere, updated folk album. Yet as I said at the beginning, the creator's intentions don't matter. What matter here are the work itself and the interpretation the listener gives it, and this listener considers it an ambient album. So how does it work as an ambient album? It's alright, I guess. Bit coffee-shoppy, bit predictable because of that, bit unengaging because of that predictability, bit disappointing because of that lack of engagement. You could say that distance from the listener is the intention of a ambient album, but I reply that you can ram your intentions up your fudgetunnel. noRadio, signing off.

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.

This is exactly what I'd imagine of an album by Beth Orton, except without having "She cries your name" on it. I'm almost entirely certain that it's haunting and beautiful and shit, but dear gods it is boring. It is the soundtrack to a low budget independent film where a mid-to-late-twenties woman breaks up with a forty-something man because he's incapable of socialising without alcohol, doesn't want to settle down and hasn't had quite enough of a health scare yet to convince him to start jogging daily. As she sits sobbing on the back of a bus, Beth Orton's music highlights how broken her heart is. I am the forty-something man with the low-grade alcohol dependency and all I can say is "FFS pet, WTF were you thinking? Listen to some Dido instead, at least that has some remix value."

Delightful.

Bloody lovely

Preferred the upbeats tunes, but overall not bad

Many reservations. But I liked the half where she sounded like Carole King.

tweedious

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.

Reminds me of the 90’s

Otra grata sorpresa. Me recuerda a Natalie Merchant, pero un poco más moderna. Al final me cansa un poco el disco, pero le daré un 4.

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

I would describe Beth Orton as being the least famous person with a famous voice (at least in music). This album is fairly difficult for me to describe, but it's excellent. It's mellow and folky a lot of the time, but it surprises you sometimes as well (Stars All Seem to Weep kinda comes out of nowhere). Overall a great listen 4/5

Dull. I even listened to this in a hipster coffee shop and felt nothing

Very “meh” album for me, nothing memorable about it

It was fine, but honestly, kinda boring. I listen to a lot of music that's downtempo, and even I had trouble getting through this one. Some standout moments for sure, but mostly kinda unmemorable. I have a feeling that even the songs I saved I'll end up skipping on playlists down the line. Standouts: Stolen Car, Couldn't Cause Me Harm, Pass in Time, Stars All Seem to Weep, Love Like Laughter

discovered Beth Orton from her more recent album, Weather Alive (which I like much better), but I enjoy this era of Lilith Fair musicians so this was pleasant enough. I would probably have liked this when I was younger

Not my thing

boring as fuck

This album is gorgeous. Beth Orton’s voice is incredibly versatile and can break through anything making the listener hang onto every word. She is known as a folktronica artist, but I found this album to be solidly in the folk category except for a few songs on the back half of the album. I can see how this influences later artists in the 2000s and 2010s when folktronica really came into its own.

I liked it

Flott rödd, góð tónlist, skemmtileg electróníku og kassagítars blanda. Jájá.

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.

Jazzy, folky, well composed. Feels sincere

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?

Inoffensive but pretty boring. Felt like a slog to get through at just under an hour. I have an appreciation but it’s just not for me

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

Totally not my thing and probably the least listenable album so far. Might have to go back and revise my Zeppelin rating for this one.

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.

Slightly more interesting than that Norah Jones album, but still unlistenable. More music to be piped into mall bathrooms.

Influential and genre defining album, but too long

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.

Great album, I really enjoyed this. My first listen was at the beginning of the day and it was nice to drift in and out of sleep with. The second listen was just as good, but awake.

Do not know...

Maybe something to listen on a calm autumn night, in the background... Not particularly exciting.

Ok singer-songwriter

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.

Bonito pero no esencial.

Nice mellow pop.

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.