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Perhaps it's inevitable that K.T. Tunstall's Eye to the Telescope will draw initial comparisons to Dido, since they're both female adult alternative singer/songwriters who bear a certain similarity in their vocal timbres. But as Tunstall's debut starts to unfold, those superficial connections fall away, as she reveals herself to be a soulful vocalist, a restless musician, and a serious songwriter. At times, she may be on the verge of being a little too serious, as her songs are tightly wound and earnest, two qualities that can seem slightly stuffy when her production has a glossy veneer, as it does on opening songs of the album. These cuts, while accomplished and enjoyable, paint Tunstall as a good but ordinary songwriter, halfway between Dido's elegantly sleepy soundscapes and Sheryl Crow's tuneful craft, which is an inaccurate impression, as the album quickly proves. About a third of the way in, the album kicks into gear and Tunstall is revealed as a kindred spirit of such eccentric contemporaries as Fiona Apple and Nelly Furtado. She's more straightforward than either Apple or Furtado, partially due to the album's overly slick production, but also in her sober, uncluttered songwriting, yet her musical instincts, along with her impassioned vocals, edge her out of the mainstream. Slower songs like "False Alarm" aren't sleepy; they have the lazy, jazzy undercurrents of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, while faster cuts like the single "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" or "Suddenly I See" have an urgency that makes them compelling, despite the shiny production. But that production is the only drawback on Eye to the Telescope -- it certainly sounds good, it certainly sounds professional, but it may keep some listeners at a distance, since it requires that they look hard to find the unique songwriter beneath the glistening surface. And if they spend the time to really hear what's going on in Eye to the Telescope, they'll find a promising, satisfying debut.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Kristin Wilkinson, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Martin Terefe, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - DAVID DAVIDSON, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - David Angell, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Vocals, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - John Catchings, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - The Love Sponge Strings, Strings, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Unknown, Other, AssociatedPerformer - Andy Green, Music Production, AssociatedPerformer - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Paul Beard, Clapping, AssociatedPerformer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Arnulf Lindner, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Iain Burdge, Cello, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - TommyD, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - Andy Green, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer, Bass Guitar, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Marty Philip, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Gilbody, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, Baritone Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2009 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer, Guitar, Moog Bass, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Unknown, Other, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Pleasure, ComposerLyricist - Graham Deas, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - Martin Terefe, ComposerLyricist - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - George Vjestica, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2005 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Composer, Guitar, Organ, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Luke Bullen, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Iain Burdge, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Marty Philip, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Gilbody, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - TommyD, Composer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Steve Osborne, Producer - Martin Terefe, ComposerLyricist - Ren Swan, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - KT Tunstall, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Luke Bullen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Dick Beetham, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Arnulf Lindner, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2005 Jaydone Ltd trading as Relentless Records under exclusive licence to Virgin Records LtdThis label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved.(C) 2005 EMI Records Ltd ℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Album review
Perhaps it's inevitable that K.T. Tunstall's Eye to the Telescope will draw initial comparisons to Dido, since they're both female adult alternative singer/songwriters who bear a certain similarity in their vocal timbres. But as Tunstall's debut starts to unfold, those superficial connections fall away, as she reveals herself to be a soulful vocalist, a restless musician, and a serious songwriter. At times, she may be on the verge of being a little too serious, as her songs are tightly wound and earnest, two qualities that can seem slightly stuffy when her production has a glossy veneer, as it does on opening songs of the album. These cuts, while accomplished and enjoyable, paint Tunstall as a good but ordinary songwriter, halfway between Dido's elegantly sleepy soundscapes and Sheryl Crow's tuneful craft, which is an inaccurate impression, as the album quickly proves. About a third of the way in, the album kicks into gear and Tunstall is revealed as a kindred spirit of such eccentric contemporaries as Fiona Apple and Nelly Furtado. She's more straightforward than either Apple or Furtado, partially due to the album's overly slick production, but also in her sober, uncluttered songwriting, yet her musical instincts, along with her impassioned vocals, edge her out of the mainstream. Slower songs like "False Alarm" aren't sleepy; they have the lazy, jazzy undercurrents of Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, while faster cuts like the single "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" or "Suddenly I See" have an urgency that makes them compelling, despite the shiny production. But that production is the only drawback on Eye to the Telescope -- it certainly sounds good, it certainly sounds professional, but it may keep some listeners at a distance, since it requires that they look hard to find the unique songwriter beneath the glistening surface. And if they spend the time to really hear what's going on in Eye to the Telescope, they'll find a promising, satisfying debut.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:01
- Main artists: KT Tunstall
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Relentless - Virgin
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2005 Universal Music Operations Limited ℗ 2005 Universal Music Operations Limited
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