BETH ORTON
''SUGARING SEASON (DELUXE EDITION)''
OCTOBER 1 2012
48:59
1. Magpie/4:32
2. Dawn Chorus/3:23
3. Candles/3:45
4. Something More Beautiful/3:27
5. Call Me the Breeze/3:52
6. Poison Tree/4:05
7. See Through Blue/1:52
8. Last Leaves of Autumn/4:00
9. State of Grace/4:14
10. Mystery/4:07
11. That Summer Feeling/4:38
12. I Wasn't Born To Follow/4:01
13. Goin' Back/4:03
Sam Amidon /Guitar, Guitar (Nashville), Organ, Violin, Vocals (Background)
Ted Barnes /Banjo, Guitar (Acoustic)
Brian Blade /Drums, Percussion
Dan Bora /String Engineer
Carl Broemel /Guitar (Electric)
Bob Burger /Accordion, Harmonium, Piano, Pump Organ, Wurlitzer
Beki Doe /String Arrangements
Clarice Jensen /Cello
Eyvind Kang /Viola
Oliver Kraus /String Arrangements
Tucker Martine /Percussion, Producer
Rob Moose /String Arrangements, Violin
Nico Muhly /String Arrangements
Yuki Numata /Violin
Beth Orton /Arranger, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Nate Query /Bass
Marc Ribot /Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Nylon String)
Ben Russell /Violin
Caroline Shaw /Violin
Nadia Sirota /Viola
Sebastian Steinberg /Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Laura Viers /Vocals (Background)
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Sugaring Season is Beth Orton's first album in six years. Reportedly, she almost gave up music in the interim. Recorded in Portland, Oregon with producer Tucker Martine, the album finds her accompanied by a stellar backing band -- keyboardist Rob Burger, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and jazz drummer Brian Blade -- as well as a sterling array of guests including guitarist Marc Ribot, violinist Eyvind Kang, and her husband, songwriter and guitarist Sam Amidon, to name a few. The title refers to the time of year when maple trees are "tapped"; gallons of sap are collected, then boiled down to remove their bitterness; the slight remainder is used for maple syrup. It's a metaphor for these ten songs. While Orton's lyrics are as mercurial as ever, there is a sense of a life cycle here. She semi-details travails during a period of waiting and confusion with no clear direction in "Magpie." Its last line offers a darkly tinged surrender: "Silence me and I won't be here anymore." The drama in the tune is picked up by Kang's viola, Blade's insistent, syncopated shuffle, and the interplay between Ribot's electric guitar and Amidon's high-tuned acoustic and her own. Orton took regular lessons with the late Bert Jansch toward the end of his life, and it shows here. Her playing shines throughout. Her singing voice, which has been her trademark since "Central Reservation," is richer, fuller, more assertive here than ever before. "Candles" features her live vocal atop a rehearsal take -- her band didn't know she was taping. The deep register of cello, Burger's slippery electric piano, and Blade's brushwork capture the moment of creation perfectly, while her voice is unrestrained in its response. "See Through Blue," with its old-timey waltz arrangement, is a song written for her daughter. This might have been a maudlin moment on the album; it's not. Instead, it is sprightly and mellifluous, as Nico Muhly's string arrangement meets Burger's clipped upright piano, with a strolling bassline and her voice shifting gears through her register, from smoky contralto to falsetto. Closer "Mystery" is among the most beautiful songs Orton's ever written. It's elliptical, open-ended, and free of the world-weariness that has often reigned in her singing voice. The song is an offer of solace and comfort. It offers respite as it whispers to a close. Sugaring Season is sophisticated, mature, and rife with quiet passion. Its songs are informed by the struggles inherent in everyday life, but also account for dreams, small triumphs, and the redemptive power of love. It is a most welcome return from exile.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Singer/songwriter Beth Orton combined the passionate beauty of the acoustic folk tradition with the electronic beats of trip-hop to create a fresh, distinct fusion of roots and rhythm. Born in Norwich, England in December 1970, Orton debuted as one half of the duo Spill, a one-off project with William Orbit which released a cover of John Martyn's "Don't Wanna Know About Evil." She continued working with Orbit on his 1993 LP Strange Cargo 3, co-writing and singing the track "Water From a Vine Leaf" before appearing with the group Red Snapper on their first singles "Snapper" and "In Deep." In 1995 Orton teamed with the Chemical Brothers for "Alive: Alone," the ultimate track on their Exit Planet Dust LP. After assembling a backing band comprised of double bassist Ali Friend, guitarist Ted Barnes, keyboardist Lee Spencer, and drummer Wildcat Will, she finally issued her 1996 debut EP She Cries Your Name; her stunning full-length bow Trailer Park, produced in part by Andrew Weatherall, followed later in the year. In 1997, Orton released the superb Best Bit EP, a move towards a more organic, soulful sound highlighted by a pair of duets with folk-jazz legend Terry Callier; the full-length Central Reservation followed in 1999. "Stolen Car" was a moderate hit among college radio and tours across the U.S. were also successful. Three years later, Orton emerged refreshed with her third album Daybreaker. This time around, she collaborated with ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams and the Chemical Brothers. In early 2006, Orton released her fourth album, Comfort of Strangers. The 14-song set was recorded in two weeks with producer Jim O'Rourke. After a recording break of six long years, Orton signed to Anti and released the Tucker Martine-produced Sugaring Season in the early fall of 2012.
''SUGARING SEASON (DELUXE EDITION)''
OCTOBER 1 2012
48:59
1. Magpie/4:32
2. Dawn Chorus/3:23
3. Candles/3:45
4. Something More Beautiful/3:27
5. Call Me the Breeze/3:52
6. Poison Tree/4:05
7. See Through Blue/1:52
8. Last Leaves of Autumn/4:00
9. State of Grace/4:14
10. Mystery/4:07
11. That Summer Feeling/4:38
12. I Wasn't Born To Follow/4:01
13. Goin' Back/4:03
Sam Amidon /Guitar, Guitar (Nashville), Organ, Violin, Vocals (Background)
Ted Barnes /Banjo, Guitar (Acoustic)
Brian Blade /Drums, Percussion
Dan Bora /String Engineer
Carl Broemel /Guitar (Electric)
Bob Burger /Accordion, Harmonium, Piano, Pump Organ, Wurlitzer
Beki Doe /String Arrangements
Clarice Jensen /Cello
Eyvind Kang /Viola
Oliver Kraus /String Arrangements
Tucker Martine /Percussion, Producer
Rob Moose /String Arrangements, Violin
Nico Muhly /String Arrangements
Yuki Numata /Violin
Beth Orton /Arranger, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals
Nate Query /Bass
Marc Ribot /Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Nylon String)
Ben Russell /Violin
Caroline Shaw /Violin
Nadia Sirota /Viola
Sebastian Steinberg /Bass (Acoustic), Bass (Electric)
Laura Viers /Vocals (Background)
REVIEW
by Thom Jurek
Sugaring Season is Beth Orton's first album in six years. Reportedly, she almost gave up music in the interim. Recorded in Portland, Oregon with producer Tucker Martine, the album finds her accompanied by a stellar backing band -- keyboardist Rob Burger, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and jazz drummer Brian Blade -- as well as a sterling array of guests including guitarist Marc Ribot, violinist Eyvind Kang, and her husband, songwriter and guitarist Sam Amidon, to name a few. The title refers to the time of year when maple trees are "tapped"; gallons of sap are collected, then boiled down to remove their bitterness; the slight remainder is used for maple syrup. It's a metaphor for these ten songs. While Orton's lyrics are as mercurial as ever, there is a sense of a life cycle here. She semi-details travails during a period of waiting and confusion with no clear direction in "Magpie." Its last line offers a darkly tinged surrender: "Silence me and I won't be here anymore." The drama in the tune is picked up by Kang's viola, Blade's insistent, syncopated shuffle, and the interplay between Ribot's electric guitar and Amidon's high-tuned acoustic and her own. Orton took regular lessons with the late Bert Jansch toward the end of his life, and it shows here. Her playing shines throughout. Her singing voice, which has been her trademark since "Central Reservation," is richer, fuller, more assertive here than ever before. "Candles" features her live vocal atop a rehearsal take -- her band didn't know she was taping. The deep register of cello, Burger's slippery electric piano, and Blade's brushwork capture the moment of creation perfectly, while her voice is unrestrained in its response. "See Through Blue," with its old-timey waltz arrangement, is a song written for her daughter. This might have been a maudlin moment on the album; it's not. Instead, it is sprightly and mellifluous, as Nico Muhly's string arrangement meets Burger's clipped upright piano, with a strolling bassline and her voice shifting gears through her register, from smoky contralto to falsetto. Closer "Mystery" is among the most beautiful songs Orton's ever written. It's elliptical, open-ended, and free of the world-weariness that has often reigned in her singing voice. The song is an offer of solace and comfort. It offers respite as it whispers to a close. Sugaring Season is sophisticated, mature, and rife with quiet passion. Its songs are informed by the struggles inherent in everyday life, but also account for dreams, small triumphs, and the redemptive power of love. It is a most welcome return from exile.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Singer/songwriter Beth Orton combined the passionate beauty of the acoustic folk tradition with the electronic beats of trip-hop to create a fresh, distinct fusion of roots and rhythm. Born in Norwich, England in December 1970, Orton debuted as one half of the duo Spill, a one-off project with William Orbit which released a cover of John Martyn's "Don't Wanna Know About Evil." She continued working with Orbit on his 1993 LP Strange Cargo 3, co-writing and singing the track "Water From a Vine Leaf" before appearing with the group Red Snapper on their first singles "Snapper" and "In Deep." In 1995 Orton teamed with the Chemical Brothers for "Alive: Alone," the ultimate track on their Exit Planet Dust LP. After assembling a backing band comprised of double bassist Ali Friend, guitarist Ted Barnes, keyboardist Lee Spencer, and drummer Wildcat Will, she finally issued her 1996 debut EP She Cries Your Name; her stunning full-length bow Trailer Park, produced in part by Andrew Weatherall, followed later in the year. In 1997, Orton released the superb Best Bit EP, a move towards a more organic, soulful sound highlighted by a pair of duets with folk-jazz legend Terry Callier; the full-length Central Reservation followed in 1999. "Stolen Car" was a moderate hit among college radio and tours across the U.S. were also successful. Three years later, Orton emerged refreshed with her third album Daybreaker. This time around, she collaborated with ex-Whiskeytown frontman Ryan Adams and the Chemical Brothers. In early 2006, Orton released her fourth album, Comfort of Strangers. The 14-song set was recorded in two weeks with producer Jim O'Rourke. After a recording break of six long years, Orton signed to Anti and released the Tucker Martine-produced Sugaring Season in the early fall of 2012.