November 6, 1997
Fragile sound is lost in the din

Beth Orton probably has enough commotion in her life lately, what with her current status as pop music's critical-darling-du-jour.

The British folk-pop singer mustn't have been too surprised by her reception Tuesday night at Lee's Palace when she had to face the scenester-rabble that always seems to go along with being a critical-darling-du-jour.

In town for a gig supporting her debut album Trailer Park, Orton did manage to hold at least three-quarters of the full house in rapture with an interesting set.

But she might as well have been wallpaper as far as the chatty industry cocktail party at the back of the room was concerned.

And while all that barroom clamor was nothing new -- Lee's is, after all, a bar -- it certainly didn't jibe well with Orton's often fragile sound.

While she is known best for singing with the Chemical Brothers on their albums Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole, the acoustic guitar-slinging singer draws heavily on traditional British folk.

Looking waifish in spite of her six-foot-tall frame, Orton would have seemed lifeless at centre-stage were it not for her unique voice, which resuscitated her melancholy, string-swept songs.

Her quiet voice wavered -- just a hair flat -- between frailty and surprising strength.

Likewise, Orton's supple backing septet was effectively baroque at the fringes, with sweeping violin and cello linked seamlessly to a reliable, beat-heavy rhythm section that booted things into a decidedly hip '90s framework.

Things did lapse occasionally, as Orton's gentler folk tunes got swallowed up in the din of the venue.

Even the soft-spoken singer's attempts at friendly between-song stage banter were lost in the shuffle.

Orton could be heard at one point explaining that she has relatives in Toronto.

"Is any of my family here?" she asked.

There was no answer, save for a few jokers in the crowd. Here's hoping her relatives weren't in the back of the club.

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5