Best Bit EP

Best Bit isn't the revelation its predecessor, Trailer Park, was. With that eye-opening debut, Beth Orton was marked as an uncommonly promising newcomer. Best Bit represents a rest stop between records. That said, the five-song EP is of value, if for no other reason than it unites the Londoner with American folk-soul stylist Terry Callier, who duets with Orton on his own "Lean on Me," as well as a cover of Fred Neil's "Dolphins." The title track provides another highlight; just as with the strongest tracks on Trailer Park, Orton here reinforces the notion that she's the long-sought offspring of such rich-voiced '60s thrushes as Bobbie Gentry, Jackie DeShannon, and Dusty Springfield. --Steven Stolder