Central Reservation

Beth Orton

album cover

Cracked and Pleading and Perfect . . .

Beth Orton's second album Central Reservation is haunted by death, rejection, and regret. It tells about a wandering and deceitful lover, and of a vanished romance so encompassing, the "Stars All Seem to Weep" when it ends. One song, the ambling waltz "Pass in Time," shares advice Orton's mom gave on her deathbed: She wanted her daughter to lighten up and enjoy life because "you're here just a little while."

Despite the bleak subjects, Central Reservation is the opposite of a downer. It's the perfect audio for a slow-moving Sunday morning. Like Billie Holiday, Orton sings without holding anything back—she's throwing open the windows of her heart, holding up her imperfections while seeking a more complete understanding of life. Her cracked and pleading voice (a touch of Holiday there, too) draws you in, and though she's still in the everything-hurts phase of breakup, she sounds determined to learn, heal, move on. The surroundings—questioning strings, jazz vibraphone, forcefully strummed acoustic guitar—offer a lush cushioning, and there's a great duet ("Pass in Time") with the underappreciated jazz singer Terry Callier, whom Orton regards as a major influence. Even when Orton's lyrics speak in general terms about heartache, there is no ambiguity or generalized formless gloom in her delivery. Every emotional wrinkle is rendered with stunning precision. Like a mapmaker plotting exact coordinates, Orton uses that perpetually shook-up, melancholy voice to pull listeners into the thick of a feeling—and then she stays there, describing it in tones as much as in words.

Genre: Rock
Released: 1999, Arista
Key Tracks: "Pass in Time," "Stars All Seem to Weep," "Stolen Car," "Central Reservation"
Catalog Choice: Trailer Park
Next Stop: Dido: No Angel
After That: Terry Callier: First Light

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