Beth Orton Central Reservation

Orton's second album forsakes the trip-hop of her debut for more robust textures. The devil's on their trail: Opener “Stolen Car” has a nervy energy and a beautifully orchestrated droning undertow, and sets up a road trip through the American south (by way of Orton's native Norwich). There's sweet countrypolitan in “Sweetest Decline” and “Pass in Time”, but the best bits ooze with darkness: the desert hum of “So Much More,” the ominous twang in “Devil Song,” and on the one-take “Feel to Believe,” a furious vocal performance that breaches the limits of the microphone.