Have you ever wondered how far Wesley Willis could have gone with his sychronizer if he didn’t pass away, or if he got a boob-job? Introducin
g KT Tunstall.
Do you remember where you were when you first heard “Black Horse And The Cherry Tree,” that pivotal music moment that forever changed your life?
Umm, yeah. Me either.
Scottish folk-rocker KT Tunstall bopped her way into the music scene with a talking horse and a loop machine she calls “Wee Bastard” (although I don’t think you should speak poorly of the machine that provides you with an instant backup singer and layers of melody). Her debut effort, Eye To The Telescope, was one that you bought for the first single, then kinda scratched your head at the rest of the album—until you figured out that some record exec made an upbeat, radio-friendly tune to hook people into an otherwise mellow and pop-folky album. Because, god knows, THAT’S never happened before.
Her second album, Acoustic Extravaganza, was initially sold only through her website, which is a brilliant marketing move for a sophomore effort—always try to make your music as inaccessible as possible. It was raw and funky and was an instant success among the 37 people who bought it.
This brings us to album the third, entitled Drastic Fantastic. The cover, featuring KT in a white minidress wielding a guitar that appears to have been made from a disco ball, instantly has you thinking of 80s rock awesomeness. Rolling Stone, in their infinite reviewing wisdom, suggested that she was mid-90s Lilith Fair awesomeness. (What? It’s not MY fault they got an advance copy and already reviewed it, while I had to wait for gift cards at Christmas.) But era-istically speaking, KT fits in just fine with the singer-songwriters of the aughts.
Of course, the label started off by releasing “Hold On,” beating the black horse one more time. But once you get past the mandatory radio hit, you get into the actual stuff of the album. Whether she’s giving an ex-boyfriend a plateful of cold haggis in “I Don’t Want You Now” or doing her best Natalie Merchant impression in “Saving My Face,” KT gives you some good thoughtful, introspective crap. It’s not gonna have you screaming at the top of your lungs as you’re driving down the highway, which will help you avoid any Imperial entanglements at the DUI checkpoint. Err… granted, that’s more of an issue for an alcoholic music reviewer than your average CD buyer. But anyway, you’ll find that, at the end of the CD, you want to loop it back through for another listen.
Song you should pay $1 for on iTunes, rather than downloading for free: “Funnyman.” It’s funky, it’s got lyrical depth, and it gives some past fella the middle finger–which is requisite for any Lilith Fair-appropriate music. But it does it with a little more subtlety than an Alanis Morrisette or Ani DiFranco.
Rating: 
Four bagpipes. Which, unfortunately, are not featured in Tunstall’s music. I mean, come on. If Weird Al can bring the accordion to the forefront, how about a little love for the native instrument of Scotland?