Anyone that has ever heard Portishead will definitely tell you that one of the group’s strongest possessions is the voice of Beth Gibbons. Beautiful, haunting and soothing all at the same time, it’s almost a guarantee that any song with Gibbons on the microphone is sure to be good.
I have to admit, the first time I gave this disc a listen I was anything but convinced. The music accompanying Gibbons (created by former Talk Talk member Paul Webb, aka Rustin Man) is anything but the smooth orchestral trip-hop of Portishead. In fact, the tunes sound like they could have Frank Sinatra or any other Adult Contemporary artist singing on top. While this is quite off-putting at first, it quickly becomes one of Out of Season’s greatest strengths, showing the true versatility and character of Gibbons’ voice in a fresh light. Whether this be on the mournful track “Show” or the double bass-driven “Sand River,” Gibbons has shown that she can make a disc that holds its own without a trip-hop backdrop.
Making it a little bit easier for some of us to add some lighter tracks to our collection, Gibbons and Webb have recorded a disc that truly gets better with every spin.