KT Tunstall is an artist that I kind of wish never hit the mainstream because I wanted to keep her for myself and potentially use a song in a movie that would have people asking, "Who's singing this song? It's perfect". Well, I found her debut album Eye to the Telescope before it was released stateside, and could immediately tell she was going to be successful. At her core she is a singer-songwriter with pop aspirations. Her mellow acoustic songs allow her to delve deeper into thought provoking songwriting, while her up-tempo pop-rock is catchy and sells records. Little did I think she would reach quite the fame she has until I saw the opening sequence of The Devil Wears Prada (who needs to take acting classes more than Adrian Grenier?) which further catapulted her into the limelight after an 'American Idol' nod by Katherine McPhee (and stole my idea for movie music in the process). Now, the 32-year old Scotswoman is back with her sophomore effort Drastic Fantastic, drawing inspiration from two new "very sexy" guitars cranked to 11. The first half of the album is definitely a pop-rock showcase for these new axes, while the second half is mellow and contemplative in the quintessential singer-songwriter vein. Drastic Fantastic demonstrates what made me like Ms. Tunstall in the first place; she has a wonderful voice capable of many timbres and emotions, as well as catchy melodies that make you want to sing right along with her. It's infectious to hear a musician able to sound both bluesy and exuberant, sometimes in the same song. The f
irst single "Hold On" should be familiar territory for any fan of her single "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" because it is almost the same song. They sound quite similar with the stop-time, shuffle clap rhythm and sassy vocal styling. The other two tracks progressively give a glimpse into the singer-songwriter side of Ms. Tunstall. All in all, the album is enjoyable and will most likely be accepted as a suitable follow-up for an artist that has found a her niche.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic
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3 comments:
While Tunstall's inclusion on the soundtrack to The Devil Wears Prada might have been the culprit in stealing your movie idea, it's not really accurate to say that was her introduction to the "limelight." More precisely, Tunstall was introduced to American ears when Katharine McPhee chose "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" for Billboard Week on American Idol. This moved Tunstall up the charts herself, paving the way for her music to be included in television shows and films (much to your dismay).
While Ms. Tunstall may have initially been introduced by Ms. McPhee on the May 2, 2006 episode of 'American Idol' whereas 'Devil Wears Prada' was released June 30, 2006...I can almost guarantee her services/licensing were requested by the filmmakers months in advance of her being asked by McPhee, since the movie entered Post-Production (soundtrack put in among other things) in January 2006.
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