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| | Central Reservation | | | Music Artist : | | Beth Orton | | Music Style : | | General | | Record Label : | | Arista | | Release Date : | | 1999-03-09 | | Store Price : | | $11.98 | | Artistopia's Price: $11.98 | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Stolen Car
2. Sweetest Decline
3. Couldn't Cause Me Harm
4. So Much More
5. Pass in Time
6. Central Reservation [Original Version]
7. Stars All Seem to Weep
8. Love Like Laughter
9. Blood Red River
10. Devil Song
11. Feel to Believe
12. Central Reservation [Ben Watt Mix]
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 One for the Collection
Submitted on: 2009-07-29 |
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| This album is hauntingly sad in that she wrote it after her mother past away. It is truly beautiful. It's the best album by a female musician that I know of, and it'll be staying in the collection. |
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Nothing short of excellence
Submitted on: 2009-04-03 |
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This may not be the Beth Orton album I spin most, but it definitely is the best representation of her talents and one of the best in the female singer-songwriter genre.
The album ebbs and flows effortlessly between each track and across all types of music, often in back-to-back duos (2 electronica tracks, 2 alternative tracks, 2 acoustics, etc). "Sweetest Decline" is the song that caught my attention most, a sultry love-sick song that sounds like Carole King might have sung it first; even better is the fact that it's only the 2nd song on the album. "Pass In Time" ranks as one of those most beautifully moving songs about death (her mother's, in fact) and both versions of "Central Reservation" are great in how they complement one another. Towards the end of the album comes a quiet intensity in the one-two punch of "Blood Red River" and "Devil Song", where Beth shines in a minimalist production.
It's a shame Beth hasn't had greater success in the U.S, especially with an album like this, but it does make one giddy to feel like they have all this wonderful music to cherish by themselves. |
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As eclectic as Van Morrison, and so much more
Submitted on: 2009-04-01 |
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Beth Orton can too easily be compared to Van Morrison, who melded celtic folk with rock, jazz and countless other styles.
In fact, Orton is far more eclectic, mixing classical violins and jazz and trip-hop together to make one of the best albums I've ever heard.
"Central Reservation" is a demonstration of just how diverse her stylings are. Songs such as "Stolen Car" feature cool mixes of upbeat trip-hop with folk and classical violins. And Orton is the sage who takes center stage when she sings, "When every line speaks the language of love/And never held the meaning I was thinking of/And I can't decide over right or wrong/You left the feeling that I just do not belong."
True, Orton isn't as riotously rebellious as Sleater-Kinney, who demanded that men dig her out of this mess. However, Orton has a sly way of upsetting the gender balance of power with biting words and orchestrations of electric cellos, among other instruments.
Other songs, such as "So Much More," feature the smoothest keyboards and electronic sounds, like a cool cross-breed of Enya and jazz. But this song is nowhere near as elegant as the seven-minute long "Pass in Time," with a gorgeous string ensemble playing to jazz basses and acoustic guitars. It's such a unique mix of country and jazz, with the fantastic singing talent of Terry Cavalier.
Although hard rock fans might sleep as Beth Orton slides by singing the beautiful acoustic songs "Sweetest Decline" and "Central Reservation," there's so much to love from the combination of guitars and keyboards. It sounds so calm, and yet so irresistable.
And by the time listeners think that's all that Orton can do, a jamming hip-hop beat plays in the song "Stars All Seem to Weep." Even if the song uses only two chords, Orton's voice makes the song so ethereal, as she sings, "I think about you in the moonlit night/And the stars all seem to weep/When there's so much love to give/There's never any time for sleep, yeah." Her use of short guitar samples and drifting keyboard sounds make for a chilling cosmopolitan sound like no other artist.
While artists such as Norah Jones have had trouble adjusting her quiet jazz sound, Orton truly commandeers this album with the best instrumentation I have ever heard in a female pop singer's album. It's not jazz, or pop, or rock or trip-hop--it's a sound that so genuinely belongs to Beth Orton. And she sounds so warm and eclectic that no other artist can even match her talent. |
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 Good CD that should appeal to a mass diversity of music tastes
Submitted on: 2008-07-11 |
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I have no idea how I heard about Beth Orton. Actually, check that... I heard "Central Reservation [Ben Watts Mix]" on a chillout dj mix and was just begging for more of her work. So based on the reviews here, I made a purchase on a whim. I've been pretty happy about the purchase.
Her voice, as many have already said, is quite distinctive. It's uniquely beautiful in that I don't think she has the most beautiful voice in the world, and she certainly could benefit from voice lessons, but what is most profound is the reach she has to the listener in the strength of her voice. That's where her strenght lies in this CD.
The problem is that her voice can also drain some of the energy out of your body when you listen to her because her voice has the capacity to convey lots of emotion. It's been difficult to listen to the CD in full.
Another problem I have. I love Stolen Car. But none of the other tracks sound like it. I love Sweetest Decline. But, again, it's a bit different than some of the other tracks here. Same goes for Stars All Seem to Wheep.
Some of my favorite tracks on the cd are:
Stolen Car
Sweetest Decline (probably my favorite track)
Stars All Seem to Weep
Central Reservation [Ben Watt Mix]
Initially, I bought the CD for the Central Reservation [ben watt mix] track. But after repeated listens, I've found it to be an above-average track, while Stolen Car and Sweetest Decline are my two, absolute favorites here.
Reviewed by a GUY who mainly listens to electronic music (trance and house) and alternative rock (Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows) this is a real nice escape into something different.
I like the CD so much, I'm ready to purchase Trailer Park. |
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Definitely, Her Masterpiece
Submitted on: 2008-07-07 |
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I often get asked "...where did you hear of this musician?". Sometimes, the answer is easy, as I'll remember how, or who turned me on to him/her.
In Beth Orton's case, I don't recall, but this was the first of her records that I purchased. I've since bought a couple more, but none compares to this.
Orton shows up in the least expected places (maybe showing up on Beck's albums should be expected), and is well connected and respected among fellow musicians.
If you don't yet have any of her records, and you're looking for a place to explore Beth Orton, this is the one to get. Great blend of spacy folk rock. |
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