Café Mouffe: KT Tunstall

I’m fascinated by the first few seconds of this KT Tunstall reprise of I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. Whatever she is playing footsie with, I want one! I guess I knew such digital sampling devices existed, but I didn’t know one could be used so simply to such impressive effect. It gives a whole new meaning to the notion of a “one-man band.”

KT Tunstall (@KTTunstall) was featured on Global Hit several nights ago. Here’s what Marco Werman had to say about  her:

In 2008, Scottish singer and guitarist KT Tunstall was told by her record label to get lost. In a sweet way. After several years of touring the world and supporting two successful albums, the bosses wanted her to find space to write some fresh songs. So, KT Tunstall hit the road. She visited New Zealand, Rajasthan in India and Macchu Picchu in Peru. In the Arctic, she went with a group of artists to see the effect of climate change on Inuits. That trip inspired the lead track on her just-released album Tiger Suit. The song is called “Uummannaq.” KT Tunstall has released three albums since 2006. The first one yielded a slow-burner of a single, “Suddenly I See.” It’s been consistently featured in film and on TV, The Devil Wears Prada, Ugly Betty, but the tune stopped mercifully short of defining her. Maybe it was KT Tunstall’s solar powered recording studio, or just having the time to clear her head, but the songs on Tiger Suit are fresh. She wrote more than 70 new tunes, and cooked it down to the 11 best. This is the tight and radio-friendly single, “Fade Like a Shadow.” KT Tunstall will be touring the US for the entire month of November. Expect one song she’s never recorded, a fun cover she saves strictly for concert audiences.

The Uunmmannaq Song opens KT Tunstall’s new  album, Tiger Suit. This live performance was recorded at YouTube’s Headquarters in San Bruno, CA. Compare it to the studo track.

Encore: Here’s a clip of Suddenly I See, the tune that “stopped mercifully short of defining her.” Too bad the embed code is withheld!