KT Tunstall’s new album eyes success

ANNA WEBBER
Staff Writer – Pepperdine Graphic

KT Tunstall puts her “Eye to the Telescope.” What does she see? A
debut of her quadruple platinum, award-winning album, and it is
arriving in the United States on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

This album, which was released in the UK in December, brings forth
an altered pop sound to the States. Tunstall is a half Scottish,
one-forth Irish, one-forth Cantonese pop-blues singer, songwriter and
guitarist.

Tunstall wraps even those most pop sounding songs of hers in a blanket of bluesy, jazzy, folk vibes.

It’s not hard to dig her style. Her sounds are breaking away from
the electronic pseudo-music that has been pervading the industry for
the past few years.

Her hit song, “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” is already burning
up U.S. airwaves before her album release. This song appears fourth on
the album and just went from 559 to 18 on Amazon.com.

Beginning on the “Other Side of the World,” Tunstall’s first track
is uplifting and mellow, telling a tale of loneliness and longing with
words like, “Can you help me?/Can you let me go?/And can you still love
me when you can’t see me anymore?”

This song is a catchy tune that sounds like it would fit right in on
a melodrama like “The OC” or even old school “Dawson’s Creek.”

Tunstall introduces a very different style with the second song on
the album “Another Place to Fall.” It is a little darker, denser and
passionate, but the song could definitely do without the chorus, which
turns a potentially good song into straight pop music.

With the hit “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” Tunstall really
changes things up with this stomp beat that is full of raw,
emotion-packed blues vocals.

She kicks out her guitar riffs, showing that this self-taught
musician has the soul, though it reluctantly shines through on the rest
of the album. A journey out of her soul to her fingertips and out
through her earthy voice, Tunstall projects humility, style and
personality.

Throughout the rest of the album, the vocals range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.

Tunstall has a natural, organic voice, that uses a wandering
imagination to her advantage, singing, “Miniature disasters and minor
catastrophes/ Bring me to my knees/ Well I must be my own master/ Or a
miniature disaster will be the death of me.”

She doesn’t throw around dirty imagery, sensuous undertones or blatant innuendos.

She gives friendly advice, reaches out her hand and her heart to her
audience. In the 11th track, “Heal Over,” she softly sings, “Come over
here lady/ Let me wipe your tears away/ Come a little nearer baby/ Coz
you’ll heal over/ Heal over someday.”

These songs are like mini conversations she has had with friends, or would have, if she got the chance.

Tunstall’s album ends with “Through the Dark,” where she sings “Try
to find light on someway/ Try to find light on somewhere/ I’m finding
I’m falling in love/ With the dark all over again.”

The album has a positive and upbeat sound, but with dense, profound
nuances, Tunstall makes this exploration of the self a poignant musical
story, even though it could be construed as run-of-the-mill.

She is a girl who knows what she is doing, and her album is already getting big reactions.

Submitted 02-02-2006

Photo courtesy of www.Fresh1027.com