Darek's Review: KT Tunstall "Eye to the Telescope (UK Version)"
I love me a singer songwriter, it's no secret. Something about commanding an audience with little more than a talented voice and a strum or two that draws me in and invites me to stay a while. From the first time I caught KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on VH1 I was eager to learn and hear more. "Eye to the Telescope" serves as her introduction to a Stateside audience after touring throughout Europe in various bands since she was a teenager. While a strong debut, fans of "Black Horse" should take heed, the album's first single is it's most frantic and fast paced, and Tunstall's sound on "Eye to the Telescope" is ultimately more akin to Sara Mclaughlin than say Tracy Bonham or Alanis Morissette, though with an intriguingly eclectic alternative flair.
Brought up in Edinburgh Scotland by her adopted parents (she has Chinese heritage), Tunstall spent the majority of her childhood roaming the countryside with her decidedly hippy parents, relatively oblivious to the world of popular music until she was a teenager. A youth spent among nature is represented well in her introspective and overtly personal lyrics that flow naturally over the sparse but well arranged instrumentation on the album's opening track "Other Side of the World".
The brooding "Another Place to Fall" gives glimpses of Tunstall's vocal abilities which she developed as something of an afterthought while learning the Flute and Piano, "I'm pretty certain that I learned how to sing because someone gave me an Ella Fitzgerald tape," she says on her website, "she was my singing teacher."
"Black Horse" and the jazzy head-nodder "Miniature Disasters" follow. Nothing about Tunstall's presentation of her songs seems forced. She has called her music "kitchen table songs", conversations she's either had or imagined with just one other person about the daily events in her life.
After a trio of somewhat sleepy numbers ("Silent Sea", Universe & U", and "False Alarm") comes the proposed second single from "Eye", "Suddenly I See". Here Tunstall channels current pop princess Natasha Bedingfield to create the most radio and dance friendly track on the album, with lyrics that represent her realization that music could be more to her than just a fascination.
The organ and hand-clap driven "Stoppin' the Love" is Tunstall's take on the blues which she carries off without pretense. With bellowing harmonies (think "Swing Low Sweet Chariot") and an infectious toe-tapping beat, the track is my personal favorite.
"Heal Over" and "Through the Dark" end the album with a bit of a whimper though "Through the Dark" serves to truly bring Tunstall's Ella Fitzgerald influences to bear.
The appeal of "Eye to the Telescope" comes in Tunstall's passion and ease with herself and her music. What the album does not truly capture however is the infectious energy that can be found at Tunstall's live shows. Using a series of sampling pedals Tunstall records individual parts of her song as she plays them, slowly building the eventual complete backing rhythm and harmonies (ala Howie Day). Anyone who enjoys "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" will appreciate it even more by seeing it performed live. Live concert videos for a few of the tracks from "Eye to the Telescope" can be found on Tunstall's Aol Music page and she even answers my call for more cover songs with a fantastic version of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5.
Overall, while I wasn't blown away by "Eye to the Telescope", it's a solid debut that's sure to do well here in the states. With a fantastic stage presence and fascinating production style, her live shows are not to be missed and she should quickly develop quite a following. She's currently on tour and plays Higher Ground in Burlington on Sunday.
Brought up in Edinburgh Scotland by her adopted parents (she has Chinese heritage), Tunstall spent the majority of her childhood roaming the countryside with her decidedly hippy parents, relatively oblivious to the world of popular music until she was a teenager. A youth spent among nature is represented well in her introspective and overtly personal lyrics that flow naturally over the sparse but well arranged instrumentation on the album's opening track "Other Side of the World".
The brooding "Another Place to Fall" gives glimpses of Tunstall's vocal abilities which she developed as something of an afterthought while learning the Flute and Piano, "I'm pretty certain that I learned how to sing because someone gave me an Ella Fitzgerald tape," she says on her website, "she was my singing teacher."
"Black Horse" and the jazzy head-nodder "Miniature Disasters" follow. Nothing about Tunstall's presentation of her songs seems forced. She has called her music "kitchen table songs", conversations she's either had or imagined with just one other person about the daily events in her life.
After a trio of somewhat sleepy numbers ("Silent Sea", Universe & U", and "False Alarm") comes the proposed second single from "Eye", "Suddenly I See". Here Tunstall channels current pop princess Natasha Bedingfield to create the most radio and dance friendly track on the album, with lyrics that represent her realization that music could be more to her than just a fascination.
The organ and hand-clap driven "Stoppin' the Love" is Tunstall's take on the blues which she carries off without pretense. With bellowing harmonies (think "Swing Low Sweet Chariot") and an infectious toe-tapping beat, the track is my personal favorite.
"Heal Over" and "Through the Dark" end the album with a bit of a whimper though "Through the Dark" serves to truly bring Tunstall's Ella Fitzgerald influences to bear.
The appeal of "Eye to the Telescope" comes in Tunstall's passion and ease with herself and her music. What the album does not truly capture however is the infectious energy that can be found at Tunstall's live shows. Using a series of sampling pedals Tunstall records individual parts of her song as she plays them, slowly building the eventual complete backing rhythm and harmonies (ala Howie Day). Anyone who enjoys "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" will appreciate it even more by seeing it performed live. Live concert videos for a few of the tracks from "Eye to the Telescope" can be found on Tunstall's Aol Music page and she even answers my call for more cover songs with a fantastic version of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5.
Overall, while I wasn't blown away by "Eye to the Telescope", it's a solid debut that's sure to do well here in the states. With a fantastic stage presence and fascinating production style, her live shows are not to be missed and she should quickly develop quite a following. She's currently on tour and plays Higher Ground in Burlington on Sunday.