Out Of Season

Portishead first appeared to the audiences in the mid 90s, and only after two records edited ("Dummy" and "Portishead"), they soon became one of the most respected (and why not add loved?) bands worldwide. But just as quickly as they stormed their way into the hearts and minds of so many people, after their Roseland NY show record release (in 1997), they simply stopped.
About six years later, eager Portishead fans were delighted by the release of singer Beth Gibbons' first off-Portishead album. Many of them thought it would bring back some of the well-known atmospheric, trip-hopish sound of the Bristol band. The truth is that they were wrong.
"Out of Season" has almost nothing to do with Portishead (well, apart from sharing the same singer, of course, and Adrian Utley's contribuiton in some tracks). It's a very intimate, almost integrally acoustic album, totally build around Gibbons' unique vocal skills. Even though she did a brilliant job with Portishead, in this album she totally unleashes her singing and streches her vocal range to the maximum - it's nothing short of remarkable the way she changes her singing (and even the way she speaks the words) between songs, almost has she was playing ten different characters.
I've personally heard some Portishead fans moaning about this and how they were disappointed with what they'd heard, as they were expecting "just" another Portishead (or Portishead-like) album. Me, well, I couldn't have been more delighted. Although I love Portishead's instrumental parts, it's Beth's singing that really got me into it in the first place. The way she sings in this album is a blessing for a true fan of hers, as I've always been. If you too are a fan of Beth's, it is a sin not to own an original copy of this album!