Beth Orton

Orton came to fame melding folk with electronica, but here she strips away all the digital gloss and lets her warm, yet often tart, songs speak for themselves. Part of the credit goes to producer Jim O'Rourke, who seems to know instinctively what each song needs. Still, at the heart of it, it's Orton's songs that carry the day; they aren't bound by any fad, movement or decade.