Beth Orton

Beth’s voice is still sounding delicate & fragile but the quavering crackle that she’s allowed herself to grow into brings a warmth & depth to this stunning piece of work.

The foundations of these forlornly euphonious songs comprise nothing more than her voice & an upright piano, conjuring a deeply meditative atmosphere but with the brushed percussion, live bass & the jazzy additions brought in by saxophonist Alabaster DePlume & drummer Tom Skinner (Sons Of Kemet / The Smile), she also carves out soundworlds we’d more readily associate with Talk Talk / Mark Hollis & the most recent output from The Weather Station. Her eighth album is a subdued, self-produced victory.