Customer Reviews

Out of Season

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You know her best as the ethereal voice of Portishead, but in "Out of Season" Beth Gibbons strays away from indie trip-hop into melancholy acoustic pop, jazz and folk, collaborated with Paul "Rustin Man" Webb of Talk Talk. This autumn-toned collection is melancholy and pensive, a bittersweet little gem.

"Out of Season" starts off strong with the gentle, plaintive "Mysteries," followed by the shimmery "Tom the Model," the piano ballads "Show" and "Resolve," jazzy "Sand River," and the brilliantly murky "Spider Monkey." It finally wraps up with the bizarrely enticing "Rustin Man," a wavering outflow of shimmery sonic currents and Gibbons' submerged vocals.

The opening lines of "Sand River" ("Autumn leaves/Beauty's got a hold on me/Autumn leaves/Pretty as can be") pretty much describe "Out of Season." The cool prettiness of Portishead carries over to the folkier, simpler tunes.

Beth Gibbons' vocals are outstanding, clear and sensual in just about every song. "Rustin Man" and "Romance" are the exceptions. In the former, her voice sounds seductively mechanical; in the latter, she almost sounds like she's parodying a torch singer sometimes. It's a little disconcerting, but her voice is almost uniformly beautiful.

The instrumentation is stripped-down to bare bones: piano and acoustic guitar, most of the time. Adding a bit of extra flavor are gentle string accompaniments, and a bit of subtle organ work. And the songwriting goes more towards being moodily evocative, with quiet lines like "And those water-coloured memories/Soft as a summer's breeze/You're as pretty as can be."

Though a little uneven at times, "Out of Season" is like a fall morning -- cool, pretty and faded. Beth Gibbons' foray into non-Portishead turf is a solid one, and this collection of autumnal ballads is definitely a keeper.

Like David Lynch's Blue Velvet, this is a work of genius teetering on the edge of over-the-top strangeness. The dark, atmospheric instrumentation, the sparse orchestration, and above all Gibbons' haunting voice make for an aural expeience not unlike a nightmare of 50s Suburbia--perhaps the confessions of a Mid-America would-be prom queen in a dysfunctional family. (Or, I suppose, the British equivalent.) Even if it is a downer, one must admit that as far as unity of theme, musicality, and pure moodiness, it is an amazing achievement. At a time when pop music is becoming increasingly shallow and impertinent, this album is a must-listen if for no other reason than that it is truly expressive, well-thought-out, and provocative.

Before Beth Gibbons joined Portishead she tried out for another band headed by Paul Webb of Talk Talk. They never did anything but stayed in touch. When Portishead went into hiatus a few years ago, they decided to hook up again and record Out of Season. They enlisted some of the people from Portishead and Talk Talk. One thing that is gone is the hiphop beats. Some other influences come through, like Leonard Cohen and Nina Simone. Much of the music is minimal like Nick Drake. They even have a song called "Drake" for some reason. They even do a live version of "Candy Says" by Velvet Underground. The result is a beautiful and haunting record. Mostly composed of vocals and acoustic guitar or piano. She sing "And the moments that I enjoy/a place of love and mystery/I'll be there anytime" in the opening track "Mysteries." Much of this album was recorded in the English countryside, and has an autumn feel. They have created a record that seems timeless and against fashion.

A strong member of Portishead, on her first solo outing, OUT OF SEASON, we find Beth Gibbons even stronger on her own in terms of songwriting and vocals. On her work with Porishead, her distinct vocals were used as an instrument and backed by rich melodies. This album takes away all the fanfare and gives her a more jazzy flair. Replaced by electronica are instruments including organs, reeds, strings, acoustic guitars, and more, which compliment Gibbons instead of overpowering her. My favorite track is "Romance". The song has a very interesting arrangement with the background vocals coming in and out, giving the song a spooky sound. Once again, an album that seeps in a little more with each listen. It's well worth the time to discover this album and all of it's glory!

Beth Gibbons has a hot sensual voice, which you could listen to all day. As this was the first time, I have heard Beth sing , Beth knocked my socks off my feet. You just get caught up in the song and it takes you to another level.

Well done Regards
Terry.

haunting folk mixed with the fantastic trip hop style of portishead.
Beth's voice can't be beat!

for all the portishead fans of the world, just nod your head if you like beth or if you were dying for her solo album like i was. i was so eager to have this album last year that i searched for copies everywhere including ebay & i wasn't the least bit disappointed. not a day goes by that i don't hear the haunting vocals of the immeasurably talented beth gibbons & i've recommended this cd to everyone i come in contact with. you may mis the trip-hop beats of portishead on the first contact but i tend to think you will be intoxicated with ms. gibbons voice & the beautiful arrangements made on this splendid solo cd release. for some reason, this album doesn't sound like anything else that has been recorded in the past twenty or thirty years. in fact, this sounds more like the work of something in the late sixties & seventies. although the sound is extremely mellow, the musical influences here are amazing. ms. gibbons ventures into folk, jazz, country/ western, & r&b with A very smooth transition from one track to the next. my favorite track is tom the model for some strange reason but i love the album in it's entirety. i can hardly wait for beth or portishead either way to release something else. if this is your first encounter with beth, you may also want to go back into the catalog of portishead & i'm sure you'll be delighted with those albums as well. now that this album is available to the united states at such an affordable price & with the bonus track "candy says", there is no reason not to buy. enjoy!

I'll miss Portishead! She's sounds great, don't get me wrong. It's just that, I loved the Portishead sound and now it's gone forever.

After seeing everybody give this 5 stars, I guess I was bound to be let down. Shame on me for buying without listening to a song. I agree that Beth has a great voice, I just can not get attached to most of the songs on this disc.

Beth Gibbons brings us a truly unique and enlightening debut album. The music is distinctly different than her work with Portishead. The electronic feel is gone and replaced with an almost jazzy feel. But what remains is Gibbons' haunting and soulful voice. Her talent to convey her emotion to us and feel her every whisper. Very mellow and a great album to set any casual mood.