Beth Orton has been variously described as "a bummed out angel in the badlands of love" (Details), "the clear eyed oracle of London's breakbeat scene" (Spin), and "Queen of the heartbreak vocal" (Mercury Music Prize judges). There must be something special about Beth Orton that makes people attempt poetry. Ever since her debut solo album "Trailer Park" was released to critical acclaim in October '96, people have been enchanted by the collection of lovingly crafted, beguiling songs and entranced by the tall Norfolk broad with the acoustic guitar. With a Brit Award in the year 2000 for Best British Female Solo Artist, 2 other Brit Awards and 2 Mercury Music Prize nominations and a couple of gold albums under her belt, it seems everyone is entranced by the intriguing English girl with the spine-tingling voice and pocketful of heartache.At six foot tall and disarmingly sharp, Beth Orton is not exactly what you'd expect. With an ability to reduce grown men to tears with her songs, Beth Orton is more likely to steal your last fag than cry on your shoulder. As she says, "I don't think my songs are as miserable as people make out. There's a lot of hope in there as well. It depends if you're a half-empty or half-full person". Born in Norfolk in 1970, Beth moved to London with her mother at the age of 14 where they plotted up in Dalston. Her older brothers being punk rockers, the most rebellious thing the teenage Beth could do was get into folk. She spent her late teens immersed in everything, from Nick Drake to The Slits and The Stone Roses to Rickie Lee Jones. After a chance meeting with dance producer William Orbit she was cajoled into embarking on her first musical project, and they wrote "Water From A Vine Leaf" together. Having worked with Mr Orbit for two years she co-wrote the first two Red Snapper singles and teamed up with the (little known at the time) Chemical Brothers on "Alive: Alone," the haunting final track on the Brothers' ace debut album. With a record deal of her own Beth set about: bringing musicians together, finding Ted Barnes, and Ali Friend (from Red Snapper); blending her guitars with samples and beats on an album of starkly personal songs of breathtaking beauty. Working with producers Victor Van Vugt (Tindersticks, Nick Cave) and Andrew Weatherall (producer of the classic "Screamadelica") she created her own brand of rhythm-infused folk. "Trailer Park" struck a chord with everyone from seasoned folkies, country aficionados,teenage clubbers and the brokenhearted. She then led her new band on a year long road trek supporting various bands before selling out her own headline tours. Pausing only to supply vocals to The Chemical Brothers globe conquering "Dig Your Own Hole" album before throwing herself straight into another record of her own, her second long player, "Central Reservation" was released in March 1999 and found Beth duly catapulted into the stratosphere. Sonically leaps and bounds from her intriguing debut "Central Reservation" saw Beth hook up again with Victor Van Vugt as well as David Roback (from Mazzy Star), Ben Watt (from Everything But The Girl), Ben Harper, Terry Callier and Dr John. The album is a simultaneously wide-screen and a profoundly personal collection of folk-trip-dub-rock songs soundtracking life as she knows it; full of harsh sorrows and magical joy. A profoundly gifted musician, Beth Orton manages to blend her eclectic influences into a unique and solitary style that is immediately recognisable and defiantly individual.
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