Central Reservation

Arista

Beth Orton's last effort, 1996's Trailer Park, was a surprising treat that mixed trip-hop beats with a folkie heart to create a sound that was at once  embraceable while being thoroughly unique. Orton somehow managed to put a whole new spin on the then-tired female singer-songwriter cliché made ever boring by the likes of Alanis, Sheryl Crowe, and Jewel.   Stolen Car, "Central Reservation"'s opener, kicks off the CD with the promise of another classic, with its winding electric guitar, kick drum, and altogether funky vibe, loaded with an extra dose of angst. There's no trip-hop activity here, just acidly charming lyrics, like "You stand for every known abuse that I have seen my way through," sung with all the remorse of someone whose been burned oh so many times before. A promising beginning, unfortunately, the CD goes flatline from there, never to reach the deep-hearted thump of the first track. With its tinkling lounge piano and straight-to-EZ-listening-radio strings, "Sweetest Decline," is about as interesting as listening to your sister's vocal interpretation of bad '70s era Paul Anka. Orton's bland vocal noodlings go on for five and a half minutes too long, telling you about sittin' on the porch and catchin' snow on her tongue , while the strings sappily float on an on... A fluke perhaps? No, I'm afraid not. Orton goes soothingly spacy on "So Much More," wandering around an uncertain melody as if she doesn't even know where its going, either. Anytime you take a song seven minutes, you better have something interesting to say, or else the result is to shear boredom, like the wonky "Pass In Time." Orton tries to liven things up here and there, but her lack of interesting melodies, and reliance on soothing synths and strings,  draws this one down to the boredom zone, with little chance of escaping. Central Reservation  wanders aimlessly, like a lost tourist on a tired Sunday, looking for a place to lay down and take a nap. Would somebody give Orton a nudge and wake her back up?

-- Tim McMahan

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Originally published in The Reader, March 19, 1999.

Copyright © 1999 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Rating: No