Recently, an online friend suggested that I check out the music of KT Tunstall. Since this particular friend is into a lot of sparse, acoustic acts such as Over the Rhine, Kim Taylor, Gillian Welch, etc., I wasn't so sure if I had room to fit yet another one into my already-crowded listening schedule. But with the fortuitous timing (originally making her mark in the UK, her debut album was set for release in the US within a few weeks of the initial recommendation), I figured it might be a good idea to bump her up in my priority list. Well, I'm glad I did, because the singer with the funny initials looks to be a promising talent, one who might be able to bridge the gap between fans who will flock to intimate, stripped-down club shows, and fans who will be able to enjoy her catchy hits on the radio. Neither of those are bad things, if done in moderation.

So, who exactly is KT Tunstall? Well, her real first name is Kate (the initials being a bad pun on the nickname "Katie"), and she's a mixed Irish/Chinese lass who grew up in Scotland. Her music tends toward the earthy, taking on the gloss of adult contemporary radio here and there, but mostly sticking to a more coffeehouse-friendly blend of acoustic guitar, subtle but effective percussion, and the occasional jazz and soul flourishes (more so in the vocal delivery and chord progressions; not so much the instrumentation). Her folksier side reminds me a bit of Jennifer Knapp (who I miss dearly since her premature retirement), which likely results from the common influence of Lilith Fair types on both artists, rather than a direct influence. Her slightly smoky voice evokes Norah Jones or Joss Stone on occasion. Others have observed passing references to Ani DiFranco or Patti Smith (the latter of which has served as a role model for KT). Maybe a little of Michelle Branch too - at least, her later stuff. Surely none of those are bad places to start. It isn't a sound that will change the world, but it's a good venue for her songwriting and vocal performance, which is largely subdued, but can work up a good helping of throaty grit when necessary.

So what about KT's songwriting? Is it any good? Certainly, on her best tracks, she can give us anything from a compelling memo to a friend in need, to an ode to a musical hero, to a kiss-off directed at a needy leech who poses as a friend, to a downright bizarre story of love lost. Sometimes she paints great verbal scenarios; at others, she stumbles on hackneyed metaphors, or great ideas not fully followed through. At times she can fall victim to the Norah Jones syndrome of sounding pleasant but not really evoking much more than a vague hint of a mood. When this is combined with more of a straight-ahead musical approach, this can be a frustrating weakness, but thankfully that weakness only shows itself a few times on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. She hasn't written any bad songs yet, just a few middling ones in between the sweeter offerings.

Now, here's what KT is not writing about: lesbianism. Somehow, a few fans heard a bunch of songs largely addressed to women, by a woman, and got visions of lesbian love floating around in their heads. Maybe the rainbow-colored suspenders on the UK version of her album cover had something to do with it, or maybe it was just mental association of her stage name with that of k.d. lang; who knows? In any event, she's "come out" as being a heterosexual, so hate to burst your fantasy bubbles, potential young horny male fans, but you need to start listening more carefully. Sometimes affection for another person expressed through song just means friendship, and sometimes anger results from situations other than breakups. Are we clear on that?

One more surprising tidbit about KT is that for a relatively new talent on the music scene who has the potential to be the "it" girl for a few months, she isn't one of those jail-bait nasal singers who usually gets the industry's attention just by strapping on a guitar. Not that there's anything wrong with discovering musical talent early - but it's getting rare these does to see someone (particularly a woman) over the age of 25 gain any first-time notoriety in the pop music world. If you're edging close to 30, you're pretty much over the hill in this industry! (Not that I can tell by looking at her, but maybe that's the Chinese half kicking in; Asian girls always look younger to me than they really are.) Age and looks and all shouldn't really matter when you're listening to a record, but sadly, they come into play in terms of someone's ability to make a name for themselves, and KT has apparently bypassed that difficulty, so, good for her.

Now, on with the song reviews.

Other Side of the World
Over the sea and far away
She's waiting like an iceberg, waiting to change
But she's cold inside
She wants to be like the water...
It's unfortunate that the album starts off with what I think is KT's weakest song. It means well, with its its warm opening keyboards and its gentle guitar strum, but aside from getting us used to the darkly sweet texture of KT's voice, this one tends to float by without having much of an effect on me. It's about a girl who remains aloof and distant, someone so different that KT sees her as being "the other side of the world to me". I think it would have more impact if the music was more dramatic or the melody less ordinary.

Another Place to Fall
Are you proud to have founded a brand new behavior
With hatred and hurt as your savior
But nobody's choosing to follow
So you choke back the tears and you swallow...
Speeding up the tempo slightly, the second song is a strange exercise in mixing an interesting verse with a rather standard pop/rock chorus. I love the husky way that KT's vocals come across during the verses, singing in her lower register and rattling off some sarcastic rhymes directed at a friend who appears to have perfected the art of self-martyrdom. KT is clearly tired of having to play this girl's savior, so she urges her, "Find yourself another place to fall". I like songs that take a stance against co-dependency, and this one is almost as interesting of an analysis as Alanis Morissette might have given the situation, but the chorus, which doesn't have much in the way of interesting music to fill in the space between the lyrics, seems to drag. "I don't see no holes in the road, but you found another place to fall" also seems like a bit of a forced metaphor.

Under the Weather
And it's simply irrational weather
Can't even hear myself think
Constantly bailing out water
But still feel like I'm gonna sink...
A gentle, but more happy-go-lucky acoustic guitar sound graces this gentle track, which ironically about rainy and gloomy weather. The youthful, carefree tone of KT's voice kind of stands at odds with the metaphor of getting soaked in rain under a "national rain cloud", but I kind of like the juxtaposition. This is kind of a song about needing someone to get through the rough weather - not exactly rocket science, but an understandable metaphor when you come from a place where it rains an awful lot. I'm not a huge fan of the faux-clever line "I'm under the weather, just like the world", but I do enjoy the electric guitar that breaks in during the bridge to get some momentum going as the song finishes out.

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
my heart hit a problem in the early hours
So I stopped it dead for a beat or two
But I cut some cord and I shouldn't have done it
And it won't forgive me after all these years...
"Two, three, four! Woo-oo!" So begins this infectious, addictive single that makes use of the acoustic guitar in one of the best ways possible - as a source of both melody and percussion. Along with what sounds like a fair share of stomping and clapping, this fun little surrealistic jam makes itself known as one of the more memorable singles of the year so far. It's hard to make perfect sense of KT's dilemma, having something to do with "a place in the middle of nowhere with a big black horse and a cherry tree", where an unwanted suitor is proposing marriage, and she will apparently have none of it. "No, no, you're not the one for me", goes the throaty chorus - this is an all-around showcase for the rougher side of her voice. It's not quite a "rock" song in the traditional sense, but it might just have enough spunk to get played on rock radio. Either way, it's a fantastic way to introduce Ms. Tunstall to an American audience - much more effective at making an impression than starting the CD at track 1 would be for most folks.

Miniature Disasters
Looks like I got to be hot and cold, I got to be taught and told
Got to be good as gold, but perfectly, honestly
I think it would be good for me
'Cause it's a hindrance to my health if I'm a stranger to myself...
Continuing with the addictive rhythms, this one slows things down a tad, but still makes use of the hand clapping and muted guitar strumming to create a defiantly playful atmosphere. This one seems to deal with Kt's attempt to take stock of herself, noting a sort of schizophrenia in her emotions, and admitting that she's gotta be honest with herself about these different parts of her personality that come into play, but also learn to master them, lest they begin to control her. That's the best I can do with a somewhat vague lyric, anyway. This song makes up in rhythm and hook value what it lacks in evocative lyricism.

Silent Sea
Winds are whipping up like skyscrapers
And the harder they hit me, the less I seem to bruise...
One of the album's most beautiful moments occurs here, with a fluid acoustic melody that seems to glisten as it tosses about on its uneasy rhythm (5/8 for the verses, 6/8 for the choruses). KT turns on her "pretty" mode for this one, allowing herself to become a hapless little ship lost at sea, not understanding why a lover has cut her loose. I'm a tad disappointed that the second verse is basically just a repeat of part of the first, but I quickly forget about that when I get caught up in the sweet "oohs" and "ahs" that fill in the instrumental space between the lyrics. Put this song up next to "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree", and you'd swear it was two completely different artists - but these two songs would be great examples to demonstrate the range of her voice, from sour to sweet.

Universe & U
With your child's eyes, you are more than you seem
You see into space, I see in your face
The places you've been, the things you have learned
They sit with you so beautifully...
With apologies to Prince fans, I'm going to assert that you can usually tell a song will be less interesting when it replaces "You" with "U" in its title. Seeing that printed on the album's back cover makes it seem for a moment that KT really does want to appear to be about ten years younger than she is. While this isn't a teen pop ballad or anything, it does suffer from a plodding programmed rhythm, not quite attaining the slow-burning groove that it's clearly aiming for. There are more fire, water, sky, and star metaphors here, which I guess kind of feed into the astronomy theme provided by the album's title, but I'm not really getting the connection that she's making between outer space and some person that she cares about. "I am me, the universe & you", she croons. Talk about your schizophrenia.

False Alarm
Now the curtain's coming up, the audience is still
I'm struggling to cater for the space I'm meant to fill...
This somewhat ominous slow song has a "bending" guitar-and-chime intro that turns out to be very memorable - it's just unfortunate that it accompanies another song with a dragging tempo. Two of these in a row make for a rather sleepy lull in the middle of the album, though I will say that this one has a little more possibility of growing on me than "Universe & U" does. It's kind of a self-pity song, dealing with KT's fear of the audience, and of what will happen if she actually succeeds. "Maybe it's a false alarm, and all the answers sound the same", she muses as she considers her options. I'm not sure if that means the fear is a false alarm, or the hope she feels is a false alarm, but in either case, it's an interesting lyric that doesn't quite take off due to the subdued instrumentation.

Suddenly I See
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard, she likes to leave you hanging on a word...
Ah, here's what we needed - another upbeat song! This one's a fun little bass-and-guitar driven shuffle that finds KT describing the face of her hero (this one's actually the aforementioned ode to Patti Smith), someone who looks like she knows what she's doing and who KT wants to be like when she, you know, grows up. "Her face is a map of the world", she tells us, and she later describes this woman as being colored in black, white, and silver - a rather timeless quality. Her metaphors work much better in this song than in a few of the previous ones, and I love that she's able to balance the sentiment with a sassy line like, "Suddenly I see why the hell it means so much to me".

Stoppin' the Love
Now you say it's easy, that you've been falling for all of my charm
And getting lost in my smile
Never cease to amaze me, when I'm chancing my arm
That I still do it with style...
Here's a track where KT's attempt to get her groove on rings a little truer. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one because the vaguely ethnic background vocals in the chorus and the attempt at scat singing during the bridge weren't really working for me. But then I realized, the deep thump-and-clap of the song's slow rhythm really worked for me, and KT's slightly delirious-in-love singing style kind of made the intoxicated slow groove feel a little more natural. It's another song about fear, I think - about not wanting to let one's past hurts keep out a potential suitor whom she really cares about. There are a few odd lyrical moments (what on earth does "chancing my arm" mean?), but the song manages to win me over in the end, especially when that little wriggling cello solo breaks in during the bridge.

Heal Over
And I don't wanna hear you tell yourself
That these feelings are in the past
You know it doesn't mean they're off the shelf
Because pain is built to last...
This one's my favorite of the slow songs. Much like "Under the Weather", it's slow and delicate pretty much the whole way through, not bringing in percussion and other instruments until later (and in this case, evoking a slightly hypnotic feeling when those elements finally show up). She's stumbled across a mesmerizing chord progression here, which she uses effectively as she sings in her register - when she sings "Let me wipe your tears away", it's surprisingly easy to ignore the inherent cliché in such a line because the melody and texture of it are like chocolate melting in your mouth. She's comforting a hurting female friend here, and it's definitely one of the album's most straightforward lyrics, which could probably benefit from a little more specificity regarding what caused the pain. Still, the attempt to comfort is an effective one due to the peaceful but powerful delivery.

Through the Dark
I used to talk with honest conviction
Of how I predicated my world
Gonna leave it to stargazers
Tell me what your telescope says...
You know who else KT reminds me of throughout this album? Rachael Yamagata. I could never really get into Rachael's stuff beyond a few tracks, since I found her overall pace to be more languid, not taking enough advantage of her varied influences. KT does a piano-based song here, which isn't one of her more interesting pieces, but it makes my comparison all the more apt. The lyrics, which admit to being completely inexperienced when it comes to love, are compelling - I think it's just the slow and straightforward 6/8 rhythm that starts to grow tiresome after a while. It's a song that looks with hope and a little bit of fear at the beginning of something exciting, but the tune doesn't really "pick up" in a way that really communicates that nervous excitement. It closes out the album on a whisper, and not that she should have ended with a bang - she's good at the slow stuff when the melodies and lyrics come together to fill in the space left by a mellower tempo.

One thing that wasn't immediately apparent to me (I actually didn't realize it until sitting down to write this review) is that in addition to the guitar, KT also plays piano, bass, and Wurlitzer on a few tracks. She's not a one-woman band just yet, but she doesn't seem like one of those producer-manufactured "artists" who gets a guitar strapped around her shoulders so she can strum a few chords and look like she's actually a part of the creative process, either. She's a real musician, who just needs an album that shows that aspect of her off a little more. Time will tell if her future work focuses more on her instrumental skills, her versatile voice, or a synthesis between the two. I'm hoping for the synthesis, because her voice seems to be what sets her apart from a lot of the other acoustic singers in the market, but over-dependence on vocal talent tends to create retreads of the same old pop albums. Me, I want more "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"-type material, with the "slow groove" stuff being more of a diversion, and typical-sounding pop songs getting the boot next time around. But that's just one man's opinion, I guess.

ALBUM WORTH:
Other Side of the World $.50
Another Place to Fall $.50
Under the Weather $1
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree $2
Miniature Disasters $1.50
Silent Sea $1.50
Universe & U $.50
False Alarm $.50
Suddenly I See $1.50
Stoppin' the Love $1
Heal Over $1.50
Through the Dark $.50
TOTAL: $12.50

Website: http://www.kttunstall.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying