I’ve always had a soft spot for Beth Orton and her music. When I first started working the overnight shift at IPR (the old KUNI, to be specific), I heard World Café every night, and this was around the time Orton’s album Central Reservation came out. Suddenly, it seemed like she was everywhere: she had a collaboration with The Chemical Brothers a couple of years earlier and another with folk singer Terry Callier.
Now, before you start thinking it was just nerds like me paying attention, Orton’s music was featured on a lot of the popular TV shows at the time, including Dawson’s Creek and Grey’s Anatomy.
Whatever sonic detour she’s taking, Orton’s voice seems to be the perfect match for it. And if her new single “Waiting” is any indication, she’s moving in a jazzy direction on her upcoming album (which is her first in four years). To me, it sounds like the halfway point between Joni Mitchell’s “Free Man In Paris” and Radiohead’s “High And Dry.” The trumpet, played here by Christos Styliandes, makes the song for me, along with Orton’s piano.
Lyrically, there’s a few things going on. Orton says in a press release that “Waiting” is "a celebration of moving out of the holding pattern fear keeps us in.” It sounds like it could be a breakup song, but it could be about any situation that’s gotten toxic or stagnant, and it also sounds like she’s trying to talk herself into staying at times. Orton’s voice is perfect throughout, striking a perfect balance between despair and hope.
The new album from Beth Orton, The Ground Above, will be released June 26. “Waiting” is on streaming services now, along with the new album’s nearly nine-minute title track.
