Comfort of Strangers

LIMITED EDITION - BONUS TRACKS. Comfort of Strangers, her first record in nearly four years, Beth Orton shakes off any remaining rave dust from her early collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers. The U.K. singer/songwriter instead enlists eclectic indie icon Jim O'Rourke as producer, and the result is a lovely set of pop-flavored neo-folk. Even at its most languid, Orton's voice has always suggested hidden reserves of strength, and the new songs' more traditional structures showcase that backbone. So do her lyrics: 'I think I'm gonna cry/But I`m gonna laugh about it all in time,' she sings in the one-of-those-days lament 'Shopping Trolley.' As Orton wrestles with uncertainty, hypocrisy and heartbreak, the mood ranges from wistful ('Absinthe,' 'A Place Aside') to anthemic ('Heart of Soul'). – Monsters and Critics

This version features these bonus tracks: 1. What We Begin - 2. On My Way Home - 3. Comfort of Strangers #9 - 4. Did Somebody Make a Fool Outta You...? - 5. Northern SkyWith