KT Tunstall: Tiger Suit


RIYL: Sheryl Crow, The Sundays, Stevie Nicks

KT Tunstall catapulted herself to overnight success in 2006 with her debut album, Eye to the Telescope, which spawned the hit single “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” Her 2007 follow-up, Drastic Fantastic, was just as good, if not better, than the debut, and now Tunstall is back with Tiger Suit. As usual, Tunstall’s songs are mostly upbeat hook-fests, albeit with slightly less magic than before. With Tiger Suit, she’s regressed a bit, because these are good tracks that are structured well and have solid melodies and arrangements – but something is lacking compared to Tunstall’s previous work, be it soul or depth or that slight bit of alternative grit that was present on both Telescope and Drastic.

Tiger Suit opens with “Uummannaq Song,” an odd title but the familiar mid-tempo singsong style that is most closely reminiscent of her earlier work. That rolls right into “Glamour Puss,” a song that is catchy beyond belief but somehow not exactly memorable. The best tracks on here are “Difficulty,” a song that lends itself to some quirky but effective production, and “Lost,” which is slower yet but arranged nicely. “Come on, Get In” is her label’s attempt at having Tunstall re-create “Cherry Tree,” and it’s kind of a lame one at that. Still, let’s face it – Tunstall’s mediocre is far better than most female singer/songwriters’ work these days. It’s just that her die hard fans may come away slightly disappointed this time, especially after a three-year wait. (Virgin 2010)

KT Tunstall website

  

Adelitas Way: Adelitas Way

If you are sick of what album rock has become – that is, something of a 3 Doors Down/Disturbed/Breaking Benjamin conglomerate, you might want to stop reading now. Las Vegas-based hard rockers Adelitas Way and their self-titled debut album are tailor-made for said radio format, and their brand of hooky rock with raspy, brooding vocals is the style of music that also infiltrates video games, sports highlights and strip clubs. The genre gets more and more tired by the day, but you can’t deny the fact that this stuff is like Krazy Glue on the ears, and it sells like ice cream on a hot day. Lead singer Rick DeJesus does nothing to separate himself from the pack, but his voice is strong and the rest of the band contribute some pretty stellar playing in bringing the songs to life. The best ones are the blazing “Invincible,” the insanely melodic “Hate Love,” and the acoustic gem, “All Falls Down.” If you like this sort of thing, Adelitas Way may be your next big band crush. If not, well, what are you doing still reading this? (LABEL: Virgin/EMI)

Adelitas Way MySpace Page