Her Face is the Map of the World

Recently, I railed against the music industry for not having any major names releasing any music in the near future. I also hoped that without any marquee names on the horizon, that there would be some new artist to discover much like I did last tear at this time with Anna Nalick (see my review - These Words Are My Diary Screaming Out Loud). Enter KT Tunstall a Scottish folk sing who’s even spent some time stateside in Connecticut.

Even though Tunstall strums on her acoustic guitar for most of her debut record, Eye to the Telescope, it isn’t your typical folk album as she adds a refreshing blend of blues, rock, and soul into most of her songs. The first single Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, which I didn’t care too much at first listen but really grew on me, takes Bo Diddly’s famous riff and surrounds it with a cavalcade of “woo-oo’s,” hand claps and other percussion and turns into the most entertaining song in recent memory.

The album starts off with the breezy Other Side of the World is punctuated by a calming synthesizer that never takes away from the other instruments. And there is just something about the way Tunstall says the word “water” throughout the song. False Alarm starts off as your standard lullaby song that keeps on building and building into something much grander and to crash and start again taking the listener on a great ride.

On Stoppin’ the Love, Tunstall enlist the talents of a men’s choir to great result. The contrast of the voices really work well here. Then on the next song, Heal Over, she effectively is able to harmonize with herself to equal effect. And to show that she more accoumplished than with just the acoustic gutair, she ends the album with the piano driven Through the Dark, maybe giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the future from her.

If one song can sum Suddenly I See, there is a good 60’s pop vibe to it with it bouncy verses and sing-a-long chorus. The song is about finally realizing what people see in a famous girl a idea that can definitely apply to anyone who listens to this album because you will suddenly see what is so great about KT Tunstall.

Song to Download - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

Eye to the Telescope gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.