Beth Orton

Amid the unexpected late-90s rush of Lilith fairies and Nick Drake-loving neo-folkies, English singer-songwriter Beth Orton was a standout—if not for her disarmingly fragile voice, then for her ability to flirt with club-music backdrops and borrowed beats without betraying the intimate acoustica that informs her best songs. Even in the company of esteemed electronic icons like Everything But the Girl and William Orbit, her unvarnished delivery and astute melodies have managed to dominate the frame. At the moment, she’s crossing the U.S. on a headlining club tour in preparation for the July release of her long-awaited third album, Daybreaker. The new disc features contributions from British digital wizards (Chemical Brothers, EBTG’s Ben Watt) and American roots-rock royals alike (Ryan Adams, Emmylou Harris), but this road trip is Orton’s, and it’ll take surprise guests or some awfully persistent heckling to steal the spotlight. Fine Line, (612) 338-8100