Product Description

Debut solo album from Portishead vocalist, in collaborationwith Talk Talk man Paul Webb. Eschewing Portishead's lush orchestrations for a sparse, bare production, this is a collection of quiet, acoustic folk and jazz balladry which showcases Gibbons's versatile voice. Features additional production and guitar work by her Portishead colleague Adrian Utley.

Track Listing

1. Mysteries
2. Tom The Model
3. Show
4. Romance
5. Sand River
6. Spider Monkey
7. Resolve
8. Drake
9. Funny Time Of Year
10. Rustin Man

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1398 in Music
• Released on: 2002-10-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Running time: 44 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
As collaborations go, the partnership of Portishead's ghostly singer Beth Gibbons and Paul "Rustin' Man" Webb (former bassist of 80s pop band Talk Talk) seems an extremely unlikely one. However, as Out of Season shows, the pair--who met in 1990 when Gibbons auditioned for Webb's post Talk Talk band O'Rang--have a surprising amount in common, including a love of supremely melancholic melodies and eerily atmospheric backdrops. Ambling quietly from the mournful folk of "Mysteries", through the twilight piano lament of "Show" and the uneasy cinematic sway of "Spyder", Out of Season creates a dreamily sinister otherworld that's both vintage and timeless. Yet, despite relying solely on beautifully bittersweet melodies and acoustic instrumentation to conjure its twisted romance--instead of the usual murky trip-hop beats and studio manipulation associated with Gibbons' dysfunctional songs--the fundamental chill of Portishead is ever present. And that's because, for all the wonderful, sleepy lullabies, it's the haunting isolation that fills Gibbons' every note that captivates. Even on the gorgeously hazy lounge tunes "Romance" and "Sand River"--both brimming with Burt Bacharach style optimism--she manages to sound like Dusty Springfield with a dark and tragic secret. She has an amazingly affecting voice, which makes Out of Season a truly magical album. --Dan Gennoe

Customer Reviews

Haunting and Criminally Underrated
Beth Gibbons has the kind of achingly beautiful voice which could make a statue cry real tears. Forget comparisons to Billie Holiday, because Beth's voice stands alone. Those familiar with her Portishead work will be very much aware of how much emotion she is able to hold in her vocals, and this little gem of an album is no different.

It's criminally underrated and vastly superior to the vast majority of far more celebrated female vocalists such as PJ Harvey. The opening song, 'Mysteries' is haunting and fragile, sweeping, beautiful, ethereal and sad, all at once. Beth's voice sweeps in with "Lord Knows how I adore life", with an underlying sense of sadness and sorrow. Accompanying vocals from what appears to be some sort of choir also do this great justice, and the acoustic guitar sounds beautifully understated. "A place of love and mystery" is just one of the eloquent lyrics which set the entire mood for this album.

In contrast, 'Tom The Model' explores rather more shallow subject matter, yet still sounds alarmingly good, probably the most Portishead-esque song on the album. Beth's voice is deep and resonant, strong and soulful. Indeed, 'Tom The Model' is fantastic soul, even managing to carry off lines like "I can't hide my own despair", which would probably sound hackneyed coming from most other vocalists.

The level of soul, depth and emotion evident in 'Show' is also staggering, very seldom heard in music. Soft, unintrusive piano perfectly compliments Beth's distinctive vocal.

One would expect a song called 'Romance' to be a fairly straightforward affair, but as is usually the case with Beth, she adds an extra dimension, another facet, bringing feeling to another emotional, almost jazzy number. This sounds like the soundtrack to a Belgian 'film-noir' arthouse flick, in a completely good way.

'Sand River' almost seems to be plunging even deeper into the pit of melancholia which seems to be getting dug right from the very first bar of this album, but just sounds so damn gorgeous that it would be difficult to be annoyed at this. Beth's voice trembles with emotion, sounding like like the spirit of Nico transposed over Joni Mitchell on tranquilizers.

The lyrics and vocals as heard in 'Spider Monkey' are hazy, reflective and ethereal-sounding enough for some to label this album 'depressing', but in my opinion, it all sounds far too accomplished, confident and atmospheric to be in any way negative. The album almost seems to play out in a dream-like way.

'Resolve' adds yet another facet to Beth's voice as she scales the tones and semitones from impossibly low to high, accompanied by the same simplistic acoustic guitar which seems almost omnipresent. The guitar itself embraces few key changes. Even this, however, the most downbeat song on the album, has a sincerity and lack of pomposity which most alternative music badly needs.

'Drake' sounds suicidal, however, adding wistful harmonica to even dreamier-sounding vocals, so laid-back they're practically horizontal, whilst 'Funny Time Of Year' is another desolate-sounding, yet curiously powerful montage of sound, whilst Beth sounds as if she is being posessed by the ghosts of both Nico and Ian Curtis, simultaneously.

'Rustin Man' is probably the only real 'filler' track on the album, being an attempt at ambience and exploration of sound, rather than an adequate showcase for Beth Gibbon's haunting voice.

Undoubtedly, this album will probably be too gloomy for some, but look underneath that and you will begin to appreciate it's dark, subtle beauty, evocative lyrics and hazy imagery. That Beth Gibbons solo efforts have been so criminally ignored whilst other vastly inferior vocalist are far more critically lauded is clear proof that the music press and music fans sometimes get it very, very wrong.

The Voice
If great music is often about great voices, then Beth Gibbons deserves far more recognition than she generally receives. This album, complete with Talk Talk's rhythm section, is an absolute delight.
The retro-electronica of Portishead is replaced by a warm pastoral/ acoustic backing that brings out the best in Beth's voice. And, if the intensity of this record means it isn't one that you will play week-in-week out, it is nevertheless so strong that you will keep revisiting it over the years and undoubtedly come to cherish.
This is a classic album that forges its own path beyond fashion or trend, and there is not a weak song on it. Beautiful music for autumn evenings when you fancy a change from your copy of Spirit of Eden (Talk Talk) or Hats (Blue Nile).

The Calvary cross
Let me put it straight, reading some of the other reviews just confirmed that "C...s are still running the world" as Jarvis Cocker says so aptly. This album is in the same category as "I want to see the bright lights tonight". No less, no more. Haunting. Somewhere between "Inferno" and "Purgatory" in Dante's divine comedy, when things seem to be getting better. Autumn leaves.