Beth Orton - Daybreaker

Largely shorn of the energy and ebullience of the preceding Central Reservation, Beth Orton's third LP cuts a far more somber figure -- Daybreaker sacrifices immediacy for uniformity of mood and emotional tenor, and 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. The attention to detail and nuance that colors these ten songs is undeniably impressive, but in forgoing the electronic elements of before in favor of more organic adornments like strings and guitar drones, Orton's lost some of her originality and unpredictability -- she's very much a traditional singer/songwriter now, and though much of Daybreaker is jaw-droppingly beautiful and brutally poignant, somehow the word "traditional" seems all wrong for any qualified assessment of Orton's music. To its credit, the record's subtleties blossom over repeated listens, and moments like "Thinking About Tomorrow" and the haunting "God's Song" rank with Orton's best, but the album as a whole is so relentlessly dour and down-tempo that it never quite takes flight -- which may well be the point, but it's not a point well-taken. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Name Credits Adam Peters String Conductor, Cello, Keyboards, String Arrangements Ali Friend Guitar (Bass) Andy Nice Cello Andy Waterworth Double Bass Becca Ware Viola Beki Doe Violin, String Arrangements Ben Watt Piano, Producer, Vocal Producer Beth Orton Producer, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Rhythm King Brian G. Wright Violin Calina de la Mare Violin Catherine Browning Violin Dave Williams Violin Emmylou Harris Vocals Howard Gott Violin Iain Roberton Digital Editing Jacqueline Norrie Violin Jake Davies Engineer Jim Keltner Drums John McCormack Assistant Engineer Johnny Marr Guitar Jon Birdsong Trumpet, Brass Arrangement Keith Tenniswood Programming Lascelles Gordon Percussion Lucy Shaw Double Bass Marcus Werner Hed Design Matt Johnson Drums Miles Showell Mastering Oliver Kraus Cello, String Arrangements Paul "PK" Kelly Layout Design Peter Saville Creative Director Richard "Dread" Mann Engineer Richard George Violin Rob Spriggs Viola Ruth Gottlieb Violin Ryan Adams Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocals, Slide Guitar, Foot Stomping, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Piano Sara Wilson Cello Scott Minor Percussion, Programming Sean Read Keyboards Sebastian Steinberg Guitar (Bass) Smokey Hormel Guitar (Electric) Sophie Sarota Viola Ted Barnes Mandolin, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) The Chemical Brothers Performer Tim Myall Violin Valerie Phillips Photography Victor Van Vugt Producer, Programming Vincent Chancey French Horn Will Blanchard Drums William Orbit Mixing, Vocal Producer