Album Review: Beth Gibbons, Lives Outgrown

It’s been 16 years since Portishead’s most recent album, and 10 since Beth Gibbons collaborated with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, in recording a performance of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3. In 2022, meanwhile, she popped up on Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

Point being, Gibbons’ output is so rare that, when her solo debut lands in your inbox, it makes you sit up and listen. It’s been worth the wait. And sure, what’s the hurry? After all, the 10 tracks on Lives Outgrown were recorded over the course of a decade. Furthermore, as Gibbons sings on magical lead single ‘Floating On A Moment’, “It just reminds us / that all we have is here and now.”

Throughout the record, James Ford’s production is masterful, while special mention must also go to drummer Lee Harris, formerly of post-punk bigwigs Talk Talk. Gibbons pleads for love from a vacillating partner on the brooding, pounding ‘Reaching Out’. Elsewhere, she variously meditates on motherhood, anxiety and the menopause, her remarkable voice weaving around tribal beats and spectral choirs. It all demands repeat listening.

8/10