Beth Orton

English singer-songwriter Beth Orton writes pensive songs for her acoustic guitar and hires producers from electronic music to add a modern edge to her recordings, making her one of the leading mid-90s exponents of folktronica.

Orton’s debut LP was a collaboration with her electronica-producing boyfriend William Orbit: SuperPinkyMandy (1993) was released in Japan in very limited quantities and is now disregarded by Orton from her discography. Her ‘real’ debut came in 1996 with the release of Trailer Park. Although this was also produced by a dance producer, Screamadelica’s Andrew Weatherall, it mostly stayed within the folk tradition in comprising gentle acoustic strumming and wistful tales, with only a little bit of electronic edging. The album was critically acclaimed, earning Orton two BRIT Award nominations and a Mercury prize nomination. Central Reservation (1999) moved closer to being a straight folk record with only hints of modern day technology. Again Orton was nominated for the Mercury prize, and she also won a BRIT for Best Female Artist. Orton’s hot streak continued with Daybreaker (2002), which received more warm reviews and breached the Top 10 of the UK album charts. It featured guest appearances from artists who exemplified the mixture of her music: the Chemical Brothers and Four Tet on one hand, and Emmylou Harris and Ryan Adams on the other. In 2006 Orton released her fourth major album Comfort of Strangers, though it failed to catch the imagination of fans in quite the same way as her previous three.