1001 Albums Summary

Beth Orton's second album (third if you include the highly collectable debut 'Superpinkymandy' from 1993 - an album that even Beth disowns). Compared to the previous album 'Trailer Park'; many of the electronics have been stripped back. This more rustic approach works perfectly in tracks like 'Couldn't Cause Me Harm' and the very gorgeous 'Central Reservation'; but it lends the album a very subdued feeling as a whole. Take 'Stars All Seem To Weep', for example, which incorporates trip-hop and elements of dub. It's a very muted affair that seems primed to break out into something truly special, something genre-bending, but it never quite gets there. Meandering and "playing it safe" aside; there are two very strong highlights on offer here. The first is 'Stolen Car', an ubiquitous piece of late 90s nostalgia where every instrument, every arrangement, hits in exactly the right way. The second is the Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) mix of the title track 'Central Reservation' which transforms the original into a sugary sweet and catchy piece of dance pop. All being said; there really isn't too much to fault about this album. It's a very safe affair, but that also gives it it's own certain wonderous charm.

A few enjoyable songs, but I really don't want to touch this one. Any merit that this album gained in 2004 has been overshadowed by his later reprehensible behaviour, so is it worth even talking about the album? How can you possibly critique an early '10's painting by Hitler? Same deal here. F--- Nazis, and especially those self-proclaimed Nazis. The less said, the better.