Beth Orton – 'Shopping Trolley' (Parlophone) Released 26/06/06

Beth Orton has, in the past infuriated as much as she has beguiled. The traditional folk purists who’s labelled her the new Sandy Denny at the beginning of her career were appalled by her experimentation with trip-hop and dance on her last album, ‘Daybreaker,’ and the work was at times impersonal and never quite meshed with Orton’s throaty vocals. Luckily, on her latest release, ‘Comfort of Strangers’ takes a sensible U-turn back to her roots, and this track, while not exactly single material is a slow burning and quite beautiful two and a half minute pop song. Orton’s lyrics, always interesting are at their best here, joyful, poetic and innocent, (“Words are but dust of stars/ When they collide/ I get lost in the sparks”) and the freewheeling guitars and piano evoke feelings of being young, stupid and in love.