Central Reservation - Beth Orton
Central Reservation Image
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 5 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

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  • Summary: This is the second album for the English singer-songwriter, who gained acclaimed for her 1996 debut 'Trailer Park' as well as her work with the Chemical Brothers and William Orbit. Here, she shies away from the electronica of her prior album, resulting in a more organic folk-and-blues sound.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. All Music Guide
    90
    Central Reservation is first and foremost a record about hope and survival ... but its underlying message of healing and perseverance is powerfully life-affirming -- her music hasn't merely discovered the light at the end of the tunnel, it's now bathing in it.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    89
    If you haven't heard the plaintive and curiously uplifting songs of longing and loss from this rising phenom, you're missing the emergence of one of the most affecting new talents of the past five years.
  3. CDNow
    70
    Central Reservation finds Orton's unique, husky voice glowing within her assured, slowly simmering tunes. With her voice, which aches and yearns, caressing the ears like a worn, wool mitten on a winter day, Orton beguiles as a '90s natural woman.
  4. CultureDose.net
    60
    Central Reservation ... is ambient too, but not so much in terms of beats as echoey space and unobtrusive production. The focus here is on ballads, sweet and slow, and every string of every strum can be heard.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. RussL.
    10
    My alltime favorite cd! Very unique sound, combining great folk songs and trip-hop beats, without losing any of the emotion in the songs. By far her best work. I've listened to this cd every week for 7 years and still love it.… Expand

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