Out of Season

by Beth Gibbons, Rustin Man

Overview

Out of Season plays to Beth Gibbons' strengths as a vocalist and songwriter more than anything released prior by Portishead. On both Dummy and Portishead, her pained, worn, resilient voice was often made to sound as if it was as much an artifact as the Isaac Hayes and Lalo Schifrin samples. That voice of hers was perfectly suited for the backing provided by her bandmates, but more than a few wondered if it would sound even more perfect -- or in a better setting, naked and completely central -- if it were supported by the type of folk, jazz, and R&B recordings it could've been plucked from in the first place. That "what if" is answered with this album, made by Gibbons in collaboration with Paul Webb, several of his fellow Talk Talk alums, and numerous others. Brass, strings, reeds, organs, acoustic guitar, double bass, and lightly brushed drums are all part of the mix, which never threatens to take the spotlight away from Gibbons. The lyrical themes aren't much of a departure for the singer, who contemplates the passing of time and her love/hate relationship with existence throughout -- one song opens with "God knows how I adore life," and then one song later, she's "So tired of life." The icing on the cake is in the little details, like the sly Carol Kaye imitation snuck in by bassist Adrian Utley during "Romance" and the way the background vocals discreetly drift in and out, alternating between serene and spooky. The sticker that came affixed to the disc contains a quote that proclaims this to be one of the best albums of all time. While that is a stretch, there's no denying that the quote below that one -- "Quietly devastating" -- is 100 percent accurate. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2019
Label:	Island
UPC:	0602567891543
Rank:	26862

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Beth Gibbons   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocoder,Guitar (Acoustic)
Rustin Man   Primary Artist
Peter Lale   Viola
Martin Loveday   Cello
Paul Webb   Piano,Accordion,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Ben Chappell   Cello
Clive Deamer   Drums,Timpani
Philip Dukes   Viola
John Baggot   Piano,Wurlitzer
Nick Ingman   Conductor
Mark Feltham   Harmonica
Lee Harris   Drums,Percussion
Joy Rose   Vocals (Background)
Neill MacColl   Ebo,Guitar (Acoustic)
Perry Mason   Violin
Warren Zielinski   Violin
Lorraine McIntosh   Vocals (Background)
Mark Berrow   Violin
Matt Holland   Horn Section
John Barclay   Flugelhorn
Bruce White   Viola
Gavyn Wright   Violin
Boguslav Kostecki   Violin
Nina Robertson   Flute (Alto)
Andy Findon   Flute (Alto)
Frank Ricotti   Vibraphone
Pete Glenister   Guitar (Acoustic)
Leo Green   Horn Section
Adrian Utley   Ebo,Bass,Organ,Guitar,Moog Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Mary Scully   Double Bass
Rachael Brown   Vocals (Background)
Martyn Barker   Congas,Percussion
Mitchell John   Vocals (Background)
Eddie Roberts   Violin
Gary Baldwin   Organ
Jonathan Tunnell   Cello
Lurine Cato   Vocals (Background)
David Woodcock   Violin
Christopher Tombling   Violin
Simon Edwards   Double Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Paul Webb   Mixing,Effects,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Beth Gibbons   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Nick Ingman   Orchestration
Lou Reed   Composer
Mark Bishop   Assistant,Mixing Assistant
Phill Brown   Mixing,Engineer
Neil Perry   Engineer
Niven Garland   Engineer,Producer
Adrian Utley   Effects,Engineer,Producer
Frank Arkwright   Mastering
Andy Montgomery   Engineer
Ryan Art   Design
Peter Dickinson   Photography
Albert Pinheiro   Assistant
Eva Vermandel   Photography