The Madonna film The Next Best Thing may not have provided too many positives, but at least the movie's soundtrack did, thanks to tunes like Beth Orton's haunting electronica ode 'Stars All Seem to Weep.' However, on her fourth CD, Comfort of Strangers, the 35-year-old Orton veers from electronica and emerges with an album that's decidedly stripped-down and retro. The British singer gamely talked with Windy City Times about her work and the music scene while battling an illness.
Windy City Times: Beth, how are you?
Beth Orton: Unfortunately, I've got a bit of a cold. Life on the road is alright, I guess.
WCT: Let's talk about Comfort of Strangers. Where did you come up with the title?
BO: It was something that was in my thoughts years and years ago. There was the Ian McEwen book The Comfort of Strangers, yet when I was writing the song that line just popped up. I always thought I'd change it eventually. Years later, I rewrote the song and it ended up on this record. I never thought I'd call the record that but then it seemed to sum up what the album is. For me, it has dark undertones but it also seems to be about the strange connections you make with people who you know nothing about and who know nothing about you.
WCT: Would 'minimalist' be a good word to describe this album?
BO: Yeah, definitely. It's the bare essentials. The only music on there is that which is necessary.
WCT: I understand that this CD was recorded in only two weeks. Why did it happen so quickly?
BO: I was very, very prepared by the time I went in the studio. When Jim [ O' Rourke, her primary musical collaborator ] got together to work on the arrangements, it happened so naturally. We kept doing it and it just kept being right; it was this strange alchemy, you know? It was like this harmonica part I couldn't get right before just seemed to come together at that time. Somehow, he inspired a particular kind of confidence in me. We just really clicked. It's really nice when that happens.
WCT: Do you have a favorite track on your latest CD or would you say that they're all pretty special?
BO: I think that all of them are pretty special to me. I don't have one that I can pull out; they're all my little babies.
WCT: I'm particularly fond of the songs 'Shopping Trolley' and 'Worms.' Could you talk a bit more about the latter song? It's a bit intriguing, lyrically speaking.
BO: It started off as a joke that someone told me one night. I just came back to it and it took me a year to write it. Then, I was in the studio just running through it. Jim heard it and was like, 'What the hell is that?' Then, he and Tim [ Barnes, who played drums and percussion on the CD ] just started playing on it.
WCT: Your CDs seem to garner good reviews all the time. How important is critical acclaim to you?
BO: I think that critical acclaim is cool but there's nothing better than the appreciation of your peers. I think that their endorsements are the best.
WCT: What's the biggest difference you've noticed in the music business since you started out a decade ago?
BO: There are some really great songwriters around now. There's more focus on lyrics. There are some very interesting singers out now who try very interesting things.
Orton will be performing at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield, on April 3. For more info, see bethorton.astralwerks.com or call Ticketmaster at ( 312 ) 559-1212. Tickets are $20.
