Central Reservation - no reservations in getting this album (Beth Orton in general)

Member Name: hulahoop

Product:	Beth Orton in general
Date:	06/11/00 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautifully melodic sounds and supporting musicians

Disadvantages: None

It always seems strange to me when a single artist releases music that is so heavily worked upon by other people, but still keep the artist name as their own. On ‘Central Reservation’ Beth Orton’s vocals and guitar would work less effectively without the supporting instruments and production, but her voice and style are so distinctive and individual that it makes sense to single her out as the artist.

Beth’s voice is a strange but strong combination of a very British accent and feminine tone, with a gravely strength, that reminds me of a child with no inhibitions.

The music combines a subtle plethora of instruments, including layered guitars -electric and acoustic, some synthetic sounds blended in with the acoustic, as well as strings, percussion and keyboards. There are generally three guitars and a bass which give a guitar wall of sound, which combines well with other instruments to add depth and strength to the music. This album is heavily produced and professionally manufactured. The sound and overall effect is very different from ‘Trailer Park’, her debut album, which is certainly more acoustic and folky.

‘Stolen Car’ begins with a combined guitar intro that builds up to an undulating electric guitar rift and Beth’s strong voice. She sings about lost love, naivety and guilt with true folk lyrics that fit in well with her individual style. I find this song moving - the depth of the music and the melody, as well as the serious tone of Beth’s voice, combines to great effect. The acoustic guitar contrasts the mellow electric wonderfully.

‘Sweet Decline’ lightens the mood with its casual piano and bass. Its relaxed atmosphere combines with the plucky sounding keyboard, a swaying strings section and a slightly experimental bouzouki. It is beautifully melodic and the instruments combine to make this a very pleasant song. You could almost call this easy-list
ening, but the depth of the music leads to more detailed listening.

Beth Orton goes from one light-hearted song to another deeper, more affected one. She effectively takes the listener from one mood to another. The reassuring ‘Couldn’t Cause Me Harm’ jumps to an acoustic based ‘So Much More’ which shifts in tone forming an ambiguous piece that can make me either upset of uplifted, depending upon my mood. This illustrates for me the way in which this music is so effective in provoking the listeners reaction.

On most of the tracks Will Blanchard provides laid-back drums which rely heavily on cymbals. His rhythm reminds me a lot of gentle jazz drumming, although cannot really be described as such.

Terry Callier, apparently well know in America for his growly deep soulful vocals, sings with Beth on ‘Pass In Time’, a positive and mood elevating song, seemingly about loss and coping with it in a positive manner. Callier’s voice is so strong and rich, but doesn’t supersede Beth’s as she builds up her voice and he remains firmly in the background. Callier also appears on the ‘Best Bit EP’ on which he sings with Beth on ‘Dolphins’ and ‘Lean on Me’.

The title track ‘Central Reservation’ is simple in its composition with two acoustic guitars and one electric, plus Beths’ vocals. I was surprised to know this because it sounds as if it is comprised of much more, but perhaps Beth’s beautiful voice and melody on this track distracted me from listening out for instruments.

Certainly the use of guitar on this album is far from simple acoustic. Each track has a vaguely different sounding guitar, and its combination on ‘Stars Seem to Weep’ with a drum machine and synthesisers is quite different from the expected Beth Orton. ‘Love Like Laughter’, another deeply layered song, is the last laid back tr
ack before ‘Blood Red River’ and ‘Devil Song’, which seem to be about no significant theme, but are particularly unhappy in tone. ‘Feel to Believe’, the penultimate track reverts to that carfree attitude, before finishing with a somewhat disappointing remix of ‘Central Reservation’. Described as ‘The Then Again Version’ it begins to sound like a
Christmas song with its synthetic keyboard sounds, but the heavy bass detracts from that. This is not a terrible version, but strangely placed, and after the wonderful simple original it doesn’t seem nearly as good.

I love the CD sleeve which holds images reminding us of her - cute photos of her in various poses, or standing with some friends (all dressed up like cowboys), as well as flowers and butterflies to remind us of her femininity and cutesiness. I appreciate the lack of pretension in this and in her music. Beth Orton wants to appear asdown-to-earth as possible, and believe she really achieves this.

Overall I feel the more professional sounding and production of this LP sounds better and more mature than ‘Trailer Park’. The songs seem a little less cliched and better thought out. It always leaves me feeling happy, after the mood swings within the songs. The outcome is certainly positive.

The ‘Best Bit EP’ is also well worth finding if you want to hear more of Terry Callier. It is a little more light-hearted overall, but no less meaningful or great.

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