BETH ORTON

Born: Norfolk, England, 14 December 1970

Genre: Rock, Pop

Best-selling album since 1990: Daybreaker (2002)

Hit songs since 1990: "She Cries Your Name," "Stolen Car," "Concrete Sky"

Beth Orton began in the British trip-hop dance scene, which melded hip-hop beats with trippy, atmospheric touches, usually achieved with synthesizers and drum programming. As a solo artist with a haunting, reedlike voice, she combined a love of folk music with ethereal, otherworldly synthesizer touches. Prior to her solo career she appeared as a guest vocalist on albums by the U.K. electronica duo the Chemical Brothers. On her own she produced three solo albums and various collaborations.

Though Orton has an unmistakable singing voice, she started out wanting to be an actress. It was not until she met fellow Briton, William Orbit, a producer and mixer known for his work with rock stars Sting and Madonna, that she turned to singing. Impressed by her speaking voice, Orbit invited her into the studio to record a song. He introduced her to people in the music business, and in 1996 she released a debut album, Trailer Park, to critical acclaim. Though Orton did not tour to support the album—she opened for other artists—she developed a strong following. By the time she released her second album, Central Reservation (1999), her debut had sold 90,000 copies in the United States. Steady airplay on Triple A (Adult Album Alternative) radio stations helped ignite sales. The single "She Cries Your Name," a haunting song with cellos, minimal rhythmic touches, and acoustic guitar, proved to be a breakthrough.

In 1997 Rolling Stone magazine named Trailer Park one of the top ten albums of the year. Orton's lyrics can be elliptical and abstract, but also touched with wisdom. In the bluesy, slow tempo piano tune "Sweetest Decline," she sings, "What's the use in regrets? / They're just things we haven't done yet / What are regrets? They're just lessons we haven't learned yet."

Orton's third album, Daybreaker (2002), possesses a spirited crispness and buoyancy that earlier efforts lacked. Although some critics considered it overproduced, others found Daybreaker a lovely record that brings Orton's crackling alto to the fore. On Daybreaker Orton collaborates with revered country singer Emmylou Harris and the prolific alternative country singer/songwriter Ryan Adams.

Though Orton emerged from the dance scene, her own music is ethereal and spare, combining the best of acoustic instruments with the processed sounds of synthesizers

and backbeats. Orton demonstrated that the honest delivery of folk music could bring a humanizing touch to the chilly, otherworldly aspects of electronic music.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Trailer Park (Dedicated/Heavenly, 1996); Best Bit EP (Heavenly, 1997); Central Reservation (Heavenly/Arista, 1999); Daybreaker (Astralwerks/Heavenly, 2002).

carrie havranek