Daybreaker
by Beth Orton
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Spin
    60
    The production smudges the songs into fuzzy watercolors, and Orton's twangy burr can't always cut through. [Sep 2002, p.128]
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  2. Uncut
    60
    At their best, Orton's songs do achieve what Daybreaker sets out to achieve--a sense of watching the dawn rise, all hyper and half awake from having been up all night arguing, making love or simply conversing intensely. [Sep 2002, p.108]
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  3. AllMusic
    60
    Although it's perhaps her most consistent and mature work to date, it's also her least engaging, never matching the dizzying heights of her previous efforts even as it consciously avoids past pitfalls.
  5. The A.V. Club
    60
    About half of the album plods through bland, wispy material that gasps for hooks to latch onto and gives Orton too much room to show off her limited vocal range.
  6. Dot Music
    50
    Some of the songs here are forgettable in the extreme.
  7. Pitchfork
    48
    What truly separates Daybreaker from other Orton efforts is its lack of emotional resonance-- moments where Beth just belts it out or where she actually seems engaged with the songs she's singing.
  8. Q Magazine
    40
    Tortoise-pace strumming and a crippling shortage of choruses produce only torpor. [Aug 2002, p.131]
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  9. Drawer B
    40
    Orton seems to be embracing the humdrum, schlocky sound of New Age crooners and adult contemporary mush like Dido.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Tinnitus
    Jul 21, 2013
    9
    Orton's strongest and most satisfying outing to date, Daybreaker achieves that rare balance of musical diversity and thematic cohesion. ChoiceOrton's strongest and most satisfying outing to date, Daybreaker achieves that rare balance of musical diversity and thematic cohesion. Choice collaborations with the likes of Ryan Adams, Emmy Lou Harris and Johnny Marr extend Orton's artistic range. But it's the production that elevates this record, with Victor Van Vugt, William Orbit, the Chemical Brothers, Ben Watt and Orton herself contributing to an overall intensity and warmth that eclipses 1999s Central Reservation. Listen to: "Mount Washington", a slow motion launch into a haze of sound that is Orton's folktronica tour-de-force.… Full Review »
  2. JonB
    Sep 12, 2007
    8
    this CD is a departure from her previous two. I probably would have rated it around a 3 or 4 when I first heard it. But I dusted it off this CD is a departure from her previous two. I probably would have rated it around a 3 or 4 when I first heard it. But I dusted it off recently and have come to enjoy it very much. I think the sound and mood of this CD is an acquired taste and may take repeated spins to fully appreciate it's moody quality.… Full Review »
  3. KeithY.
    Aug 11, 2002
    10
    Fantastic! Must buy!
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