Review Summary: An excellent folky acoustic pop record from the previously electronica-tinged, sweet-voiced Beth Orton.
"And now I’m your apple eating heathen / The original sin / Well you ain’t got my faith /So best keep your belief," Beth Orton sings on "Worms," the opener on her lovely 2006 release "Comfort Of Strangers." I do say I've never heard her sound as pissed as she does on this track. This 2-minute outburst is one my favorite songs on the record, because despite its extremely brief life, it has the most emotion and the most punches on the whole record.
Sweet-voiced U.K. girl Beth Orton has been around for nearly a decade, releasing a series of electrically-touched acoustic records, that never really differed that much. The quality of her music was insanely high from her debut "Trailer Park," due to the mix of electronica and acoustic elements ("Tangent," "Touch Me With Your Love,") and then she just kind of coasted on the jet stream of her debut's greatness. "Central Reservation" was pretty, and "Daybreaker" was more cohesive, yet her formula never altered itself so much that we got a new flavor. Now, her fourth record, and second for Astralwerks, is almost entirely acoustic, folky rock/pop songs. And what a delight this is.
Recorded in just 2 weeks, "Comfort of Strangers" is Orton's most listenable record, and is the most immediate as well. After the punch of the aforementioned "Worms" settles, you venture into a nice list of acoustic pop songs. "Countenance" has one of the best melodies, vocal and guitar, and as she sings "There are no rights for the many / The ones already damned / The few born into grace / They’re gonna get the helping hand," you believe her.
There are a few tones of non-acoustic instruments. Such as the seemingly-processed bass in the opening of the wonderful title track, or the soft atmosphere looming behind the distanced keyboards of the beautiful closer "Pieces of Sky," (am I the only one who hears it?) But this record is an acoustic record front and foremost.
"Absinthe," is perhaps the prettiest song on the record, accompanied by some delicate hand drums and fantastic lyrics ("All I really needed was someone to take me home / Enough absence can crush a spirit to the bone.") This song also contains Beth Orton's best vocal performance to date; her perfect vibrato in the chorus is a somewhat rare sighting in her catalog, and I'm so glad it was presented to us in the best song on the record.
There's a couple downfalls, as there is with almost every record. "Heartland Truckstop"'s choral melody appears problematic to me, and the lyrics don't save it either. And "Shopping Trolley" doesn't do anything for me, with the instruments slightly overpowering Beth's otherwise fine performance. The loud band doesn't really seem to go with suit of most of the other songs.
"A Place Aside" and "Safe In Your Arms" are as close as this album gets to balladry, and the former, while undoubtedly stupendous, is almost too brief to be much of anything. ("Worms" is more realized in its short duration.) "Safe" is the longest song on the record, and with its charming production and likable lyrics becomes another highlight.
Closing with "Pieces of Sky," a piano-based song (the only one on the record) with some of the best lyrics ("We're all pieces of sky / Pieces of time that keep drifting by,") "Comfort of Strangers" is a very nicely wrapped acoustic/folk pop record. I am glad to see some kind of shift in Orton's style, but this record isn't completely gratifying. The songs are fine, but it's not necessarily where I think she should stay. I am eagerly awaiting to see where she lands next.
TRACK PICKS:
Worms
Comfort of Strangers
Absinthe
Pieces of Sky
