Beth Orton's "The Ground Above" Review: An Artist Finding Her Voice in Middle Age
By
Daniel Bromfield
Summary
A review of Beth Orton's album "The Ground Above," examining how the artist has evolved 33 years into her career. The review highlights Orton's shift from her 1990s beat-heavy folk-pop and rave-collaboration era toward expansive, live-arrangement-driven music, as exemplified by her 2022 album Weather Alive. The review draws comparisons to David Bowie's Blackstar and Kate Bush's 50 Words for Snow, positioning Orton as an artist finding her most authentic sound in middle age.
Source
PitchforkBeth Orton's "The Ground Above" Review: An Artist Finding Her Voice in Middle Agepitchfork.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe one-time UK 'comedown queen' followed her run of big-name rave collabs and beat-heavy folk-pop records in the '90s and early '00s with a restless decade or so.
It was on 2022's Weather Alive that she really figured out how she should sound: expansive live arrangements instead of beats, crack session players instead of big-name producers.
The precedent was David Bowie's Blackstar and Kate Bush's 50 Words for Snow—artists in high-priest middle age getting back in touch with their musicianship.
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