Beth Orton Wearing a Blue Sweater

Beth Orton
16" x 20"
oil on canvas, 2011

Featured in the last top 10 is the song Conceived by Beth Orton. The song was already on its way up the list and resides now at #5. I posted the official video for it on my Facebook page. It's a very happy video with lots of creatures in it. There are five Beth Orton songs in the Top 100, most by one single musician since Cat Power a few years ago. The painting with the blue sweater is the fourth painting of her this year, the fifth one is on its way. All songs come from the CD Comfort of Strangers which actually is the only CD I have, the only one I know. Before this Top 100 year I never even knew any Beth Orton songs but currently she's appearing in all the lists I keep. Because of the additional points for Conceived, Beth Orton climbed to #1 in the list for musicians in 2010. Comfort of Strangers to #3 in the list of albums (highest by single performer) and entered the all time list of albums (a top 50 that I keep for a decade now.) Conceived entered the all time list of recordings (that's a top 500, counted since 1983) and Beth Orton herself just made it in the 200 that keeps track of the musicians.

Top 100 2010: top 10 #60

1. Sergey Ryabtsev - Improvisation    —Ryabtsev is a Russian born violinist for the band Gogol Bordella. Last week I helped install the exhibition Crossing the Boulevard at the Urban Art Space in Columbus, Ohio and the violin tune is found on a CD that comes with the catalog.
2. Be Good Tanyas - Waiting Around to Die   —Cover of the Townes Van Zandt classic that is found back at #10 in the Top 100. I also posted the video for this on Facebook.
3. Beth Orton - Conceived    —(see above)
4. Atman - The End of Philosophy    —Question: What do you do when you have a Polish co-worker? Answer: You bring in your Polish CDs from your collection.
5. M.I.A. - Born Free    —And that propels this to number one in the Top 100 2010! 
6. Beth Orton - Shopping Trolley    —After Conceived this is the second track from Comfort of Strangers for which a video was made. Very happy and funny once again.
7. Alela Diane - Dry Grass and Shadows   —There were three Alela Diane song in the Top 100 2009 last year, all from the CD To Be Still. With these four points Dry Grass and Shadows is the sole survivor.
8. Yael Naim - New Soul    —Again a very happy song. It's one of Maria's favorites.
9. Elizabeth Cotton - Freight Train    —A classic and long time favorite of mine.
10. Cat Power - Wonderwall    —From the John Peel Sessions, a really great radio performance from quite a few years ago. I'm waiting on a her new album for a while now. Waiting... waiting... waiting...