Posted on: October 14, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There has only been a limited context in which American audiences have been familiar with KT Tunstall’s work. This experience has been tempered by the ever-presentness of eir lead single “Suddenly I See”, but Tunstall looks to create a completely different conception of eriself as a performer with “Tiger Suit”. “Fade Like A Shadow” is the disc’s first American single, bringing forth nods to other singer-songwriters of Tunstall’s ilk. This means that there is a deft mélange of artists like Kelly Clarkson, Michelle Branch, and even Ani DiFranco peppered in before this track ends.

Perhaps the strongest side of “Tiger Suit” would have to be how Tunstall tempers each of the album’s tracks in such a way that whether listeners are focused in to the early side of things (“Glamour Puss”, “Push That Knot Away”) or the late (“Madame Trudeaux”, “The Entertainment”), the same heart and soul is there. Where many performers are perfectly happy to go an just put their weaker efforts toward the end of their releases, “Tiger Suit” is an album on constancy and intelligent design.

For those that may just have wanted Tunstall to go forth and capture lightning twice, “Fade Like A Shadow” represents a strong return to form. However, there just is so much more in the way of material here, and listeners of all stripes will have something in “Tiger Suit” that they can appreciate. While there is a different side of Tunstall cultivated based on which side of the Atlantic one finds themselves, Tunstall really does have the chops to make both sides work on “Tiger Suit” In a period of singles and iTunes EPs cluttering up music, “Tiger Suit” is an impressive album. Pick it up today, if you’ve not already.

Top Tracks: Push That Knot Away, Fade Like A Shadow

Rating: 8.1/10

KT Tunstall –Tiger Suit / 2010 Virgin Records US / 11 Tracks / http://www.virginrecords.com / http://www.kttunstall.com

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