Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers

Few vocalists equal the expressive subtlety of Beth Orton, whose fourth album is both her most musically spare and artistically complex to date. Not only does the production and backing by Jim O'Rourke (known for his work with Sonic Youth and Wilco) capture Orton's vocal style at its most unstudied and unvarnished, the lack of embellishment focuses all the more attention on her songwriting. From the jazzy phrasing on the deceptively jaunty "Worms" through the haunting "Feral" and the amazing grace of the closing, hymnlike "Pieces of Sky," Orton's songs give voice to the sort of knotty, prickly emotions that are as hard to define as they are deeply felt. Most of the musical dynamic features piano or guitar over an elemental, insistent rhythm section, making the coloring of an occasional string section ("Conceived"), harmonica ("Absinthe"), or accordion ("Safe in Your Arms") all the more striking. As an indication of the emotional range of this musical minimalism, the title cut is soothing enough to please fans of Norah Jones, while "Heartlandstruckstop" is as edgy as Patti Smith. --Don McLeese Amazon.com

I only listen to it unintentionally...

Comfort of Strangers sits next to all my other Beth Orton albums in my iTunes playlist (Trailer Park, Central Reservation, Daybreaker), and it never gets listened to unless I do a listen-through of Central Reservation and then forget to switch to something else once Comfort of Strangers follows. Despite multiple listens, these songs are just not growing on me in the way that all of Orton's other albums that I own did. Even Daybreaker, which I found originally to not be as captivating as Central Reservation, is well-loved by this point. April 30, 2007

A wonderful cd ...........

I've listened to this cd 3 times now, and each time I take away a little bit more. To me, this is an excellent cd, with many exceptional tracks. My favorites are Rectify, Conceive, Comfort of Strangers, Shopping Trolley and Heart of Soul.

These tracks are expressive and compelling, to me. And her voice really works on them. I'll have to go back and give worms another try, since the song doesn't do much for me as of this writing. I really love the vulnerability in her voice, though for some it comes across as whiny. Not for me. I think she's great, and I'm really enjoying her more organic style. March 4, 2007

This album will creep up on you

I got this album from a friend who told me that it was one of those albums that had really gotten under his skin, and that I had to listen to it a few times to give it a chance. I liked some of the songs right off: worms, place aside, safe in your arms; I was definitely prone to skipping around a lot. As I kept listening, though, I started to see new things in almost all of the songs and the album as a whole really started to get to me. Her lyrics are incredible, phrasing things that I had felt but hadn't been able to articulate, and she has a particular way of emphasizing the important things with subtle vocal changes, like the repeated lines at the end of pieces of sky: "there's so many people who need to know that you're still with them even when they don't know" and her voice rises and almost cracks on the 'you're'. In contrast to the sort of numb feel of the rest of the song, it highlights the desperate attempt to accept that it's over and time to move on. I find myself doing that a lot with this album, analyzing little things...and I recommend it to pretty much anyone who likes that kind of thing, especially someone trying to come to terms with their own complicated relationship issues (which, really, is most people). January 18, 2007

After Only a Few Listens

This release has the typical melancholy sound that Beth Orton is known for and if you are looking for that quintesential mellow mood, this is your music. I have only listened to the entire CD twice, but my initial opinion is that it doesn't have much diversity of style. The songs sound very much the same and do not venture into the more experimental style of songs found on some of her other releases. That said, I will continue to listen to it because often it takes many more times through before a CD grows on a person. It is a nice alternative to the mainstream pop music which draws the listener in with a catchy beat and simplistic lyrics. This latest release, along with almost all of Beth Orton's music can never be accused of that. Her music forces the listener to focus on the lyrics which are often symbolic and her flat key segway doesn't allow you to drift away. This release continues that tradition. It may not be the CD I would recommend for those not familiar with Beth Orton's music but it carries enough interest for fans of Beth's music that I say it's worth a listen. January 10, 2007

Hmmmmmmm

I'm sorry Beth but your voice gets on my nerves. Cheer up and stop whining. I have listened to 3 of your albums 3 times and tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. It's 3 strikes now and you are out of my collection and into a bottom drawer. November 27, 2006

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