Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Beth Orton (vocals, guitar, harmonium); Ted Barnes (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, bouzouki, mandolin); David Roback (acoustic guitar); Ben Watt (guitar, keyboards, programming, sound effects); Ben Harper, Dr. Robert (guitar); Beki Doe, Howard Gott, Ruth Gottlieb, Calina De La Mare, Lucy Wilkins, Dmitri Van Zwanenburg (violin); Robert Spriggs, Becca Ware (viola); Oliver Kraus, Sarah Wilson (cello); Sean Read (piano, keyboards); Dr. John (piano); Dave Friedman (vibraphone); Andrew Waterworth (acoustic bass); Henry Olsen, Jerry Meyhan, Ali Friend (bass); Will Blanchard (drums); Lascelles Gordon (percussion); Terry Callier (background vocals). | | Producers include: Victor Van Vugt, Dr. Robert, Mark "Spike" Stent, Beth Orton, David Roback. | | Engineers include: Victor Van Vugt, Trevor Smith, Giles Hall. | | Personnel: Beth Orton (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar); Ted Barnes (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bouzouki); Ben Watt (guitar, keyboards, programming); Dr. Robert (guitar); Ben Harper (electric guitar); Lucy Wilkins, Howard Gott, Ruth Gottlieb, Beki Doe, Calina de la Mare (violin); Becca Ware (viola); Sara Wilson, Oliver Kraus (cello); Sean Read (piano, keyboards); Dr. John (piano); David Friedman (vibraphone); Andy Waterworth (double bass); Will Blanchard (drums); Lascelles Gordon (percussion); Terry Callier (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Dr. Robert; David Roback; Beki Doe; Andy Bradfield; Ben Watt; Oliver Kraus. | | Recording information: Church; Garden Shed; Little Joey's; Olympic; RAK; September Sound. | | Photographer: Sam Harris . | | On her stunning sophomore album, Central Reservation, Beth Orton slips free of the electronic textures that colored her acclaimed 1996 debut, Trailer Park, stripping her music down to its raw essentials to produce a work of stark simplicity and rare poignancy. With the exception of a pair of Ben Watt-produced tracks ("Stars All Seem to Weep" and a remix of the title cut), Central Reservation rejects synthetic sounds and beats altogether in favor of an organic atmosphere somewhere between folk, jazz, and the blues; the focal point is instead Orton's evocatively soulful voice, which invests songs like "Sweetest Decline" and "Feel to Believe" with remarkable warmth and honesty. It's a risky move creatively as well as commercially -- after all, the club culture was the first to champion Orton's talents -- but it pays off handsomely; for all its brilliance, elements of Trailer Park already feel dated, but the new material possesses a timelessness that recalls the best of Nick Drake or Sandy Denny, with a haunting beauty to match. And while much has been made of the melancholy that pervades her music, ultimately Central Reservation is first and foremost a record about hope and survival; its emotional centerpiece, the seven-minute "Pass in Time" (a spine-tingling duet with legendary folk-jazz mystic Terry Callier), grapples with the death of Orton's mother, but its underlying message of healing and perseverance is powerfully life-affirming -- her music hasn't merely discovered the light at the end of the tunnel, it's now bathing in it. ~ Jason Ankeny | | Like Orton's debut TRAILER PARK, CENTRAL RESERVATION combines folk-pop reminiscent of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake with '90s production sensibilities. While the first record benefited from some well-placed electronic touches, CENTRAL RESERVATION is more organic, the slightly jazzy arrangements based largely around acoustic instrumentation. The production here is not spare however, as Orton makes good use of a string section, the piano work of Dr. John and the vocals of Terry Callier (with whom she recorded the EP BEST BIT). | | The cool detachment of Orton's Sandy Dennyish voice keeps the inviting, friendly arrangements from getting too warm and fuzzy, even when her guitar and voice are the sonic focus. Guest producers David Roback (of Opal and Mazzy Star fame) and Ben Watt (half of Everything But The Girl) lend a good deal to the moody soundscapes, particularly on the electronic-tinged second version of the tile song. With its added layer of textural atmospherics, CENTRAL RESERVATION is intriguing, accessible folk-pop at its best. |
Musical Guests | | Terry Callier | | Ben Watt | | Ben Harper | | Dr. John |
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