The Ground Above - 'Cigarette Curls' Smokey Marble Vinyl 1LP

For more than 30 years, Beth Orton has been our antenna to the cosmos, the poet laureate of forces too vast to take in all at once. A testament to her artistry, ‘The Ground Above’ is Orton’s most direct and unapologetic music to date; urgent, raw, embodied and emotionally fearless, moving between subconscious expression and expansive, timeless song craft. Her voice, moving from whispered incantation to primal wail, equally delivers melodies reminiscent of classic songbook form. Throughout the album, Orton documents survival and renewal, motherhood and identity, political unease, and the ongoing choice to stay - in love, in art, and in the world.

As with 2022’s critical breakthrough ‘Weather Alive,’ Orton self-produced the album, staying true to the collective spirit of the initial live recordings whilst sculpting and expanding, over a year long process, the record we hear today. Working with trusted musicians including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, Vernon Spring’s Sam Beste, drummers Chris Vatalaro (Antibalas, Radiohead) Vishal Nayak (Nick Hakim) Trumpet player Christos Styliandes and bassist Tom Herbert, Orton reaches new heights as a producer and songwriter.