Weather Alive
by Beth Orton
  • Record Label: Partisan
  • Release Date: Sep 23, 2022
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 3, 2022
    90
    A work of breathtaking beauty capable of connecting us more deeply to our truest selves and to the world around us.
  2. Clash Music
    Sep 28, 2022
    90
    Beautifully accomplished, ‘Weather Alive’ stands as an imposing career-high by a fine, fine songwriter.
  3. Pitchfork
    Sep 26, 2022
    87
    Weather Alive is a testament to her conviction, an eerily physical experience with the power to make believers of the rest of us.
  5. Beats Per Minute
    Oct 4, 2022
    84
    She’s a painter of sound, of mood. And one feels after listening to this document of searching textures, yearning melodies, and newfound sonic intimacy, that she’s only getting started.
  6. AllMusic
    Oct 28, 2022
    80
    Weather Alive nestles into a comparatively hushed, atmospheric blend of acoustic and electronic timbres that's meticulous and nebulous at once.
  7. No Ripcord
    Oct 3, 2022
    80
    One could say that her impeccable use of space is what reveals a special intensity to her work, a musical style artists don't often explore as they near the end of their third decade release music. Orton hinted at it through all this time, even if you weren't paying close attention.
  8. Sputnikmusic
    Sep 26, 2022
    80
    One certainly shouldn’t turn to Weather Alive when looking to jam out hard, but for a cohesive batch of wistful mood pieces, look no further.
  9. Mojo
    Sep 23, 2022
    80
    This is as moving and real as Orton has ever been. [Oct 2022, p.86]
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  10. Uncut
    Sep 23, 2022
    80
    The result is both viscerally corporeal music, full of gristle and breath, and richly ambient. [Oct 2022, p.27]
  11. PopMatters
    Sep 23, 2022
    80
    The drifting nature of Weather Alive‘s songs may not be as immediately satisfying as the bright-eyed folk-pop she flirted with in her earlier years. Still, this album unabashedly feels like the record she needed to make now, and we all feel more Alive because of it.
  12. The Telegraph (UK)
    Sep 23, 2022
    80
    Orton digs so deeply into her own personal spaces and memories that what she finds there is unique. Middle-aged discontent has rarely sounded so lovely.
  13. musicOMH.com
    Sep 23, 2022
    70
    At other times these arrangements can feel a little staid, but that doesn’t keep Weather Alive from being an engrossing listen especially as Orton dominates the proceedings so expertly.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best Album of 2022

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. scottmichaelros
    May 23, 2023
    9
    I don’t understand how this has the lowest “user” rating of all her albums. This is the one album that showcases everything great about BethI don’t understand how this has the lowest “user” rating of all her albums. This is the one album that showcases everything great about Beth Orton: her unique voice, song writing, musicianship, and production. Maybe she isn’t hip anymore, but she’s never been better.… Full Review »
  2. All_ButTrU4
    Nov 16, 2022
    7
    this record is a claustrophobic sequel to Cassandra Jenkins 'an observation of a phenomenal nature' but i feels older, worn out by thethis record is a claustrophobic sequel to Cassandra Jenkins 'an observation of a phenomenal nature' but i feels older, worn out by the ravaging tides of time. it does not eel pessimistic but contemplative, peaceful. hints of talk talk can be heard throughout.… Full Review »
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