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Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man
Out of Season
Back before Beth Gibbons joined Portishead, the singer played briefly with former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb. On “Out of Season” she reunites with Webb, a.k.a. Rustin Man, for a remarkable disc of elegiac ballads, spare folk, ethereal jazz and spooky soul. “Mysteries” is a hauntingly beautiful ghost of a song, while tight horns add a bit of punch to “Tom the Model.” But whether mimicking Billie Holiday on “Romance” or giving a nod to Nick Drake on the appropriately titled “Drake,” Gibbons and Webb achieve a delicate balance of unaffected beauty and subtle menace that few could ever hope to best.
