Comfort of Strangers

Orton's fourth album gives her unique voice the showcase it deserves. Produced by cult musician Jim O'Rourke, <i>Comfort of Strangers</i> is a supple sample of Americana (“Countenance”), jazz (“Worms”), classic 70s AOR (“Heartland Truckstop”) and pastoral chill (“Absinthe”). But the instrumentation is restrained and classy, letting Orton push her vocals into beguiling shapes: flinty and rough on “Worms”, soulful on “Feral Children”, and ragged on “Shopping Trolley”, where she lets us in more than ever before: “I think I'm gonna cry, I'm gonna laugh about it all in time,” she sings, with convincing wisdom.