Who is.... KT Tunstall?

(Morning Star, Saturday 29 January 2005)

IN FOCUS: KT Tunstall

RELEASING her debut album Eye To The Telescope this month, KT Tunstall is a truly original talent destined for great things.

Born in Edinburgh and brought up in St Andrews in Fife, Tunstall comes from the same burgeoning East Coast scene as the Fence Collective, The Beta Band and Dogs Die in Hot Cars.

The individuality of her voice has a strident quality previously heard from artists such as Norah Jones and others and the album's sexy torch singer elements will even interest many pop fans.

Her youth belies her gift producing harmonious dream-soaked soundscapes, often with a boozy, bluesy twist and her lyrics are always tough with a sensitive undercurrent.

"Don't want to be second best," she intones on Miniature Disasters and there is no way that she could be.

The vocal that she lends to all the songs on her debut album is rich beyond her years and the dark side of tracks like Another Place To Fall sets her apart from a lot of the nu-country folksy female vocalists that are so prevalent this year.

The intensity of her voice and the soulfulness of her music shows that Tunstall has a lot more to give, even after this incredible debut.

With celebrity fans including Jools Holland and a raft of positive reviews under her belt, Tunstall is the woman to kick Dido's bony behind off the top spot and enrich the charts - and our lives - with her truly extraordinary talent.