She first honed her craft as a folk musician, but with such infectious pop hits as "Suddenly I See" and "Black Horse and The Cherry Tree," KT Tunstall is certainly no stranger to rhythm.
On her third and latest release, Tiger Suit, the Scottish singer/songwriter shifts from the more organic sound of her previous efforts, Eye To The Telescope and Drastic Fantastic, to delve into dance music, exploring the rich sonic textures of techno and electronica beats.
Recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin — where tracks for such innovative works as David Bowie's Heroes, Iggy Pop's The Idiot, and U2's Achtung Baby were laid down — Tiger Suit is a reflection of Tunstall's ambitious, experimental curiosity.
What inspired the dance-oriented songs on the album?
When I was coming to make this album I felt like I had a bit of a mountain to climb. It was partly to turn myself on with what I was doing, because I’d been touring solidly for six or seven years. We finished up in South America with this really great, explosive tour, which I loved, but it did feel like the end of a chapter. I knew I was going to have to come up with something fresh to get me back out on the road again. So I just had to dig deep and work out what was really pushing my buttons at the moment, in terms of what I wanted to make and what I was hearing. It just kind of sparked off this re-ignition of my passion for dance music. I’d been very into Left Field and the Ninja Tune label and a band called Lamb. I’d really enjoyed all that electronic kind of stuff. I’ve always been a huge fan of Beck... I just never really allowed myself the kind of platform to try this stuff out.
In comparison to your first two albums, was this new direction at all a jolt for you insomuch as the songwriting was concerned?
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
Awesome job, Donald. Love her work.
2 - Glen Boyd
What Jordan said.
3 - gwen
I walk 3 miles each day, and KT Tunstall accompanies me via my iPod almost all the time. She's great.
4 - Sarah
Something about her voice soothes me, even with some of her angst-y songs. I find her to be really inspiring.