Album Review: Beth Orton – The Ground Above

Beth Orton returns with her ninth album, The Ground Above. Much like her previous record, Weather Alive (2022), it is self-produced, allowing the album to remain true to her signature sound. Blending folk, ambient textures, and subtle electronic elements, The Ground Above is a deeply reflective record that explores grief, love, and healing.

Opening the album is the title track, “The Ground Above,” which also served as the record’s lead single. It immediately introduces the themes of grief and love that run throughout the album. “Before I Knew” continues the atmospheric mood with minimal instrumentation and spacious production. Orton’s hazy vocals drift across the track as the lyrics reflect on agency and self-understanding.

“Cigarette Curls” maintains the album’s gentle momentum with another understated arrangement while reflecting on something that has been lost. “Waiting” strips the production back even further, allowing Orton’s voice to take center stage over a simple piano accompaniment. As the song unfolds, subtle jazz influences emerge while the narrator reflects on waiting for something that has already passed.

Next comes “Celestial Light,” which sounds every bit as cosmic as its title suggests. The song expands on the album’s themes of time, integrity, and appreciating the life that remains. “I’ll Miss You” once again confronts grief, though love continues to pulse beneath every lyric. Orton delivers each line with quiet sincerity as steady, rhythmic instrumentation gently carries the song forward.

“Love You Right” is among the album’s most emotionally affecting moments. As Orton sings, “For life is cruel / You know you made it kind / I only ever wanted love to love you right,” her vulnerable vocal performance gives the lyrics even greater emotional weight. The album closes with “Otherside,” the third and final single. It beautifully brings the record’s themes full circle by asking what it feels like to exist on the other side of grief. The result is a moving meditation on resilience, acceptance, and hope.

The Ground Above is a thoughtful meditation on loss and the strength required to move forward. Orton’s confident self-production, expressive songwriting, and warm folktronica sound come together to create one of her most emotionally resonant releases, demonstrating her continued ability to craft intimate, deeply affecting music.