Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Drastic, still fantastic!, 13 Sep 2007
K T Tunstall came to my attention when she first appeared on Later with Jools Holland in 2004 which prompted me and many others to go out and buy her debut album Eye To The Telescope.
This album (that difficult 2nd album) follows on well and the styles of songs vary from Bonnie Raitt to Edie Brickell. But that's ok, I like Bonnie Ratt and Edie Brickell.
Little Favours
Here's the Bonnie Raitt number, uninhibited fun and I reckon this should have been the first single.
If Only
Musically complex and beginning the transition toward Edie this tells of what the French call "l'esprit d'escalier" - the spirit of the stairs. We all know what we should have said in restrospect!
White Bird
A deceptively simple song with multi-tracked voice and a layered sound that is easy on the ears.
Funnyman
As the intro plays to this I hear Viv Stanshall saying "and now... Distorted Guitar". Upbeat and pleasing to the ear. Superb stuff.
Hold On
The actual first single, probably because it's the most like her breakthrough single, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". In fact it's almost a clone. Still enjoyable though.
Hopeless
You can see the video for this, as she saunters down a lonely road, perhaps near a cliffs edge. This is almost Richard Thompson in quality. A pleasure.
I Don't Want You Now
And now, Paul Weller! Well, I don't know if he's on the track, but he should be. A Jam track with a female vocalist? Works for me.
Saving My Face
Carole King would have been proud of this song. Another facet of KT, a nice little ditty. Not memorable ... yet.
Beauty of Uncertainty
Here comes Edie. Pleasant but less than memorable
Someday Soon
Much more Edie. Pleasant but less than memorable
Paper Aeroplane
Full-on Edie mode, complete with harmonium. Lush and gorgeous.
Kate "KT" Tunstall (born June 23, 1975) is a Scottish singer and songwriter, educated partly in Connecticut, which explains her mid-atlantic accent. Perhaps. Although her voice is not Scottish in any of these songs, which I consider a shame in some ways, this album will only build on her previous success.
Recommendation - buy this album!
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fun, Energetic Release., 10 Sep 2007
Before i review this album id like to put across my point on previews that people constantly feel the need to give on here. Now last time i looked amazon offered you the option to 'Review' not preview. Please try and refrain from previewing until you've heard/watched/played your purchase!!!
I doubt this will happen though, maybe amazon can disable the option to 'review' until after the release of a product to crack down on this annoyance???
anyways unlike the people below me (when they 'previewed' at least), i own a copy of this album and have listened to it in full. novel eh?
anyways, i like this album, i ordered it purely on the basis of her first album and her new single 'hold on'.
its always a risk of course but i can honestly say im not disappointed.
I like the reworking of 'little favours' which was a b-side on a single from her first album, i forget which. here its laden with electric guitar and vocal overlays.
'white bird' the promoted song on amazon is possibly my favourite track, one of the more laid back songs on the album, which in the most part is very energetic.
The new single 'hold on' is, as expected, the most catchy song on the album and a good first single.
In review there isnt a bad track on this album and if you loved her first album i think you'll honestly like this one aswell, its a fun listen, with plenty of energy, and has a quicker pace than ETTT, but it winds down nicely with a few slower numbers. It shows good progression from KT, but its still classic Tunstall. Is it better than ETTT??? Id say potentially. One things for sure, its worth purchasing.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing follow up album, 16 Sep 2007
God do I love the feeling of realising a 2nd album is just as good as the first! KT Tunstall's debut Eye to the Telescope came out in a year of particularly great debut albums, but this was one of my most treasured CDs... I remember so clearly buying it on a whim after only hearing Black Horse and the Cherry Tree on the web (this was way before she became such a massive hit) and then discovering to my amazement that it was one of the best albums I'd ever bought. And so naturally I was quite worried that her follow up to it could never be as good. I think what people don't realise is that second albums, most of the time, aren't any less brilliant than the first - it's just the concept of the artist's voice and style is no longer as new and exciting, because you've heard it - and listened to it endlessly - so many times before. When I first put Drastic Fantastic on, I wasn't overly impressed. Nothing really stood out, and I kept thinking -this isn't the quality I expected from KT! However, I now know this is only because musically, DF is way more complex, the hooks and more subtle and chord progressions take longer to sink in - but once they take hold, you realise this album is just as stunning and spellbinding as the last. The slower songs at the end all sort of ran into one the first few times I listened, but now I can't imagine thinking Someday Soon sounds the same as Paper Aeroplane. I'm so glad that the album hasn't been a disappointment! Don't give up on it, all you two and three star reviewers! It's an amazing album. My favourite tracks at the moment are (although as I listen more I imagine more and more will grow on me - when I first had ETTT I didn't like MIniature Disasters or False Alarm, but I love them now!):
If Only (great sing-along chorus and classic KT verses)
Hopeless (really radio-friendly without being overly poppy)
Saving My Face (amazing song!)
Someday Soon (gorgeous slower song, slightly - I hate to say it - Dido-esque, only if Dido had a bit more originality and a more soulful voice.)
The others are all brilliant too! You won't be disappointed if you stick with Drastic Fantastic.
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