Episode 8: KT Tunstall - 'Drastic Fantastic'
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| Via Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage |
We're getting back into the adult alternative singer-songwriter this week with KT Tunstall's sophomore effort. I'm not gonna do an overlong intro this time. Time to dive in.
KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic (Relentless Records, 2007)
Genres: pop rock, folk pop, singer-songwriter
Producer(s): Steve Osbourne
Metacritic Rating: 68/100
RYM Rating: 3.24/5 (ranked 4/5 in artist's catalog)
Sputnik Rating: 3.4/5 (ranked 4/4 in artist's catalog; Sputnik missing 2016's KIN)
Weeks at #1: One (week of October 6, 2007)
Other Accomplishments: Certified Gold in the UK, decent chart success for singles in Europe
In late 2004 to early 2005, KT Tunstall started blowing up as one of the biggest pop singers. Backed by huge singles like "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See," her album Eye to the Telescope sold millions of copies worldwide, going platinum in the US and Canada, as well as going multiple-times platinum in Ireland and her native UK.
That album and those singles have remained in heavy rotation since. I think it's impossible to go to a chain restaurant and not hear a little KT Tunstall in the mix. It's some nice crowd pleasing, folksy pop rock that never got too overwhelmingly big for audiences to tire of it too much.
Following up a breakthrough debut like that is insanely difficult for an artist, especially when having to match songs as catchy as "Other Side of the World" or "Black Horse." But Tunstall tried nevertheless, once again collaborating with producer Steve Osbourne and some of the same co-songwriters that she worked with on Eye to the Telescope. The result was enough to get her to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums and get some airplay in Europe, but it was a comparative failure.
It's a shame, because I think as an overall effort, Drastic Fantastic improves on Eye to the Telescope. It doesn't have a single that feels as big as "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." Nothing sticks in your head like that song's "woo-hoo's" or the massive chorus of "Suddenly I See." But overall, I thought Telescope lacked a little outside of the singles (the entire second half of the album is rather inessential outside of "Suddenly I See," honestly). Drastic Fantastic feels like a much more complete work.
And it's not like Drastic Fantastic is lacking in good singles. Lead single "Hold On" blends pop, rock, and just a little bit of soul and country just as well as "Black Horse" did even if it doesn't feel as novel. "If Only" is a beautiful, sunshiney pop song with some fantastic "fa-la-la" harmonies in the chorus. If there's a weak link, it's "Saving My Face," which doesn't feel quite up to par but still holds up nicely as a breezy pop song.
Tunstall's knack for melody is on full display as soon as the album starts, and she sounds even more confident on this album. Opener "Little Favours" is a perfect start to the album, and flies so nicely along that you wish it was longer than 3 minutes. Tunstall herself has a bit more swagger, but the harmonies under her float wonderfully. Her voice is equally as strong as it glides all over "Hopeless," a near-flawless folk rock earworm.
But the album really comes alive with "I Don't Want You Now," a bouncy anthem telling off any friends who've put Tunstall down over the years, telling them she's better off without them. The guitars cruise right along as she triumphantly calls them out for all the bad they've done.
The pacing of the album is a little bit off, and things fall apart after "Saving My Face" with three straight slower songs. A little bit of variety throughout the album probably would've been helpful, because Tunstall's biggest strengths are with those bouncy, upbeat jams. Her lyrics also aren't close to being as strong as her songwriting, although nothing sticks out as necessarily bad and she's genuine enough to sell rather generic subject matter.
Tunstall as a whole I've found is a really underrated singer. It's a shame she's really only known for that handful of songs from her debut album, because she came into her own immediately after. Her most recent stuff isn't quite as strong, but those first four albums (and her Acoustic Extravaganza b-sides collection) are all very strong pop rock records. Her songs have a bit of a timeless nature to them, and still sound fresh.
One of my goals with this project was to get to know artists better that I didn't know much about before. I expected Tunstall to be a case like Caillat, a singer-songwriter with some huge singles that gradually became forgettable. While Tunstall's career trajectory is similar commercially, I think she's a bit of an underrated gem.
Chris' Final Rating: 7.5-8/10
Chris' Definitive KT Tunstall Ranking:
1. Tiger Suit (2010)
2. Drastic Fantastic (2007)
3. Eye to the Telescope (2004)
4. Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon (2013)
5. KIN (2016)
Next Week: I'm on a "Long Road to Ruin" with the Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
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