Album Review: Beth Orton Kidsticks

Beth Orton, the Norfolk songstress whose early work almost single-handedly created the label ‘folktronica’, is back with her fifth album – and it’s a cracker.
Having first shot to public acclaim in 1993, thanks to her work with renowned producer William Orbit, Beth Orton quickly became a household name in all the hippest of homes, before going to ground after 2006’s Comfort Of Strangers, a period when the Brit Award winner wasn’t sure if she’d ever make music again. Orton, thankfully, reappeared six years later with Sugaring Season. She has since relocated to Los Angeles and the move suits her: this album finds her sounding more relaxed than ever before. Less po-faced than some of her early work, Kidsticks sees Orton showcasing her more experimental and playful side.
She’s helped on her sonic adventuring by a band made up of Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) on bass, George Lewis Jr (Twin Shadow) on electric guitar, and Dustin O’Halloran (Winged Victory For The Sullen), who provides the sumptuous piano and string arrangements.
Taylor, in particular, has his stamp all over Kidsticks’ best bits, adding muscular, funk-fuelled basslines to the gorgeous ‘Moon’ and the spacey, synth-happy ‘Flesh And Blood’. The former sees Orton sounding more confident, sassy and even soulful than ever before, over some dancefloor-friendly beats and pieces, while the latter is almost six minutes of loveliness that’s floaty and dreamy without ever being too serious.
The synth shimmer of ‘1973’ and the tribal rhythms and glitchy effects of ‘Snow’ are ready to let their hair down and boogie, with Orton proving herself quite the disco diva. ‘Snow’ sees her warning/praying that “I’ll astrally project myself into the life of someone else”, while the backing vocals swoop and trill and she waxes lyrical about gettin’ high, something you could never imagine the Central Reservation-era Orton admitting to.
It’s not all gurn-inducing high jinks, however, and the haunting ‘Petals’, the hypnotic ‘Wave’ and the aching ‘Dawnstar’ are beautifully realised. On the lilting ‘Falling’, warm swathes of electronica form the perfect foil to Orton’s honeyed vocal, while the otherworldly ‘Corduroy Legs’, with its weird combination of spoken vocals, tinkling pianos and stop/start staccato rhythms, is like being a voyeur into someone else’s dream.
By turns reflective and ready for the ‘floor, Kidsticks is a very welcome return to form.
_Out Now

Rating: 7/10
Key track: 'Moon'