Beth Orton

Beth Orton is an Englishwoman composer and vocalist practicing what some describe as psychedelic soul with her a distinctive rich, raspy voice. Her first album was Superpinkymandy (1993), released only in Japan and largely unknown outside of that country. Her second was Trailer Park (1996). This received some favorable notice. It was released in Britain, and combines folk with electronica and trip-hop elements. She toured with the Lilith Fair in 1997, then released another album, Central Reservation in 1999. This includes the song “Feel to Believe,” in which Orton makes reference to her mother’s death, writing “And I can’t watch you waste away/ And I can’t beg you still to stay.” Rob Brunner, reviewing this album for Entertainment Weekly, raved that it sounded like “plaintive ‘70s singer-songwriters like Carole King and English folkies such as Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson…” and that “Feel to Believe” in particular is a ballad made “powerful by its acoustic simplicity.”