Kt Tunstall
Eye To The Telescope

THE REVIEW

KT TUNSTALL - EYE TO THE TELESCOPE - ** ½

If you are fans of Tunstall, do not read further. It would make your liver hurt.

The long-awaited CD has finally arrived at my court, much to the delight of my bastard side: it should never have happened. There are no comments to make on "Eye to the Telescope."
Apart from the little single "Black Horse and The Cherry Tree" that we Italians like from Festivalbar onwards, an annoying acoustic guitar repeating its notes is all it contains. What's the point of having an air of 'King of Convenience' like a Philadelphia Kraft commercial or 40 denier tights?
I find it hard to believe that on planet Earth there is still someone who, with two rudiments of music, following in the footsteps of the masters 'Franz Ferdinand', primarily Kapranos, composes albums. Okay, you might say, will you stop making comparisons and talk about the album? Alright, alright!

Let's start with the summer single that talks about the “black horse and the cherry tree,” where she rejects the advances of the poor beast. Let's skip the lyrics that may be metaphorical: can you compare them to the raging guitars of Alanis Morissette? No more comparisons, I promise. Let's move on to the second single, "Other Side of the World", perhaps the best piece in the end: a bit of healthy pop with percussion and various instrumental accompaniments.
Proceeding randomly, we find "Universe and U" which is the draft for "Other Side of the World": it starts the same way and then shows off a chorus that 'Dolcenera' would appreciate, adding a little pounding on the white and black keys from time to time. Then the six strings spread, ballad after ballad, and Kt leaves the rhythmic part in Scotland: every now and then you hear a cymbal splash and a timid bass that lazily follows the guitar chords. Not even Guccini and De André would have dared so much with an acoustic.

"Through the Dark": and the ghost with eyeliner of 'Dolcenera' returns to hover over Tunstall's stupid cadences. Please remember that certain things could only be done by a few ladies named Aretha, Janis, Ella, Patti, etc. You can't be the Alicia Keys of our times. Be the Scottish girl in a kilt! "Suddenly I See", and here you have it: a "smiling" voice where she tells us her desire to resemble someone. I'm sorry it turned out to be an album so devoid of content and ideas, that it doesn't leave even a micron of a gap open for a rosier and more "musical" future.

A useless investment for the production company. Ah, Kt, say hi to Kapranos when you see him for guitar lessons.