Kate "KT" Tunstall is a singer-songwriter who graced the music scene in 2004 with her debut release, the
False Alarm EP. It got her noticed in the British indie scene, and the 4 tracks from that very EP made it onto her first album,
Eye To The Telescope. The album initially didn't get much notice in the public eye, entering the charts at No. 73 and quickly dropping out again. But her nomination for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize (And performance at the same event) brought more attention to her style of play, and to a lesser extent, her image, and the album quickly roared up the charts, eventually reaching No. 7 before slowing declining down. Most recently though, she was awarded a Q award for her song, "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree", beating out the likes of James Blunt, Coldplay, Oasis and even U2.
The record begins with the first single, "Other Side Of The World". It feels very soulful, with a downbeat melody of softly strummed guitar and KT's vocals over the top. They sound very strong and at the same time tempting, and it all feels quite unique against the modern day pop scene. It's a perfect indie-pop tune, spilling with cheery feelings as her voice gets higher and rings out at the end. It's followed up by the not so cheery "Another Place To Fall", which begins with a much darker and Western vibe. The structured timing of the strumming and backing instruments really add a level of tension in the verses, and are oddly followed up by a much happier-sounding chorus, which feels more like the opening song. I personally think this is one of the best on the album, as it shows off all the sides of KT's songwriting styles, combining both the more mainstream radio-friendly themes with darker and much more expressive styles. "Under The Weather" explores more of KT's blues inspirations, with a delicate opening and a picked acoustic guitar backing her up. It's a soothing song, although from the lyrics (And title) you can make out it supposed to be slightly depressing. The song builds up nicely as well, welcoming a second acoustic and more Western strong vocals right at the end.
"Suddenly I See" sounds like it was made to be a single, but it sounds like one of those singles which you can't forget because it's so great. There's not much folksy playing in this song, it's more of a indie-pop tune with nice basslines, tambourines tapping away and echoing backing vocals all adding to the upbeat tempo as KT sings as well as she does. It feels a little out of place after the last two songs, but it's another impressive effort in itself. "Miniature Disasters" feels more like KT's songwriting style, with a bluesy acoustic melody playing away as the drums play a simple beat, and hands clap alongside it. The lyrics are much more agrressive for her too, with words like "I don't want to be second best/Don't want to stand in line/Don't want to fall behind" sung with passion and strength. Once again though, the mood is broken with "Silent Sea", a much more melodic attempt. "And the harder they hit me, the less I seem to bruise" is just one of the short yet sweet lyrics in this song, which is back to basics; a simple picked acoustic guitar, lightly strummed guitar and KT's voice. It feels quite striking and grand, and softly fades out at the end.
So she's covered some ground, and only furthers it with the more electronic "Universe And U" (I do hate that title though). Gentle strumming of an electric guitar and much more dance-style drum beats accompany her vocals in the verses, and build into a sweet chorus with tiny bursts from the electric guitar and some sort of noise in the background, like static bass or something. It all adds a sense of realism to the album, and makes newcomers not used to the acoustic indie style more welcome. "False Alarm" is a very melancholy song, filled with more soothing guitars and carefully layered vocals. She sounds great as always in this, but it doesn't really offer as much as I already sampled beforehand. The low volume of the song makes it slightly boring, and after the occasional upbeat song from the album, it"s hard to keep switching between the styles of song. "Heal Over" feels much more at home, sticking to the solo acoustic and dual vocals which worked for her on previous songs. Her voice sounds astonishing on this song, bringing in different pitches and backing vocals to emphasize them and bring the best out of them. Quite a beautiful and yet simple song. After about 3 minutes, it suddenly then brings in a picked acoustic, slow drum beat and a very effortless bassline, and it adds more variety to the song and gives the listener a little surprise.
"Stoppin' The Love" is another electric indie-rock ballad, beginning with sort of distorted drumming and yet more clapping, then bringing in a rough and raw sounding guitar. It's feels very weird with the backing vocals, which sound scrambled and are in the song far too much. Other than that, this is typical KT Tunstall, adding a folk to her already successful indie pop style. It's followed up by another seemingly misplaced song, "Through The Dark". This is different in that it's piano-based rather than acoustic, and again it brings something new to both the album and the listener. However, at just under 4 minutes, and with a very downbeat tempo, it does drag out a little. The album ends with the truly spectacular "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree", performed live on Jools Holland. You'll wonder how she played it live, and with the help of some pedals, it sounds like it's played straight from the studio. Those 'Woohoo, woo' sounds will stick with you throughout the song, and against a unique acoustic melody and her strong vocals (Bearing in mind it's live), it truly is the best song on the album, even if it is a bonus track.
She may be compared to the likes of Dido, Joss Stone or Nelly Furtado in that she's another female pop singer who can actually write and sing songs, but KT's style is much different, and it shows in her songwriting. The many different styles and themes which grace this record prove it's not a fluke, however, this is also the record"s downfall. Where some songs are upbeat and cheery ("Other Side Of The World", "Suddenly I See", "False Alarm"), others are much less happy and have a side of gloominess to them ("Under The Weather", "Miniature Disasters", "Silent Sea"). This wouldn't be so bad, but the way the album is arranged, you end up losing track of the vibe you should be getting from the album, and it feels very unstructured. But still, if it's song quality you want, this is a perfect place to look. Songs like "Another Place To Fall" and "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree" bring out the best in this girl, with signs of confidence, fresh sounds and unforgettable melody. I'm sure this won't be the last we see of this young rising star.
This Message Edited On 02.06.09
