KT Tunstall // (Still A) Weirdo

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After a break away, KT Tunstall returns with her first single offering from her new album, Tiger Suit.

(Still A) Weirdo is described by KT herself as the 'runty puppy that everybody loves'. The song is a beautifully relaxing, guitar driven track that you can imagine driving along in the sunshine.

Looking at it's on credit, it is a great little song and is reminiscent of tracks from the debut, Eye To The Telescope. But when looked at the context of the new album, it seems a little out of place.

Nice to see KT back. Maybe not the best single that's been released but it's different from what's out there at the moment and hopefully that will help her stand out from the rest once more

Rating: 4/5

Yulia // Live In Concert: Mills Reef

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In case you haven't heard of Yulia, and there's a possibility that you don't, she's a classicial crossover artist originally from Russia but now living in New Zealand. This release is the first in a series of live concerts released on her own label. More over, the physical release is limited to 1000 copies and each is individually made by Yulia herself, making owning the CD even more special.

All the tracks feature Yulia's vocals and only a piano accompaniment allowing the listener to truly experience her rare mezzo-soprano coloratura voice. The live element of this release is obvious when you listen to the first track, a version of Schubert's Ave Maria, and you can hear the birds chirping in the background, which just adds to the song itself.

Whilst some people will probably read classical crossover and think opera, that's not all that's here. There are some well known pop songs here too (All By Myself and Nobody Does It Better to name but two) as well as some common crossover material in the form of 'You Raise Me Up', 'The Prayer' and a version of Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart (here known as Regresa A Mi and originally done by Il Divo). There is also a beautiful version of 'Into The West', originally performed by Annie Lennox for the Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

Of course, not all the songs are sung in English although it's a well balance of English and foreign language. The great thing is that, when Yulia performs in other languages, it's effortless and dictation is perfect (something there can be an awkwardness when using another language)

Overall, the album as well as the artist is a undiscovered gem. The simple arrangement of piano and voice complements beautifully and there is a sort of intimacy from this release that allows the listener to experience the versatility of Yulia's voice. The songs are performed with great control and emotion that draws the listener in from the first note to the very last. A recommend listen if you're looking for something a little different.

Rating:5/5

KT Tunstall // Tiger Suit

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It's been a few years since we had a release from Kt but now she's back with the brand new release, Tiger Suit. She's already been performing some of the new material in solo shows around the country, so the album will be the first time that fully produced versions will be heard.

The opening track, Uummannaq Song sets the new sound from this album; a sound defined as 'nature techno'. It's a great little opener followed quickly by Glamour Puss that has a slightly rockier edge. Next is the first official track that was posted on Youtube, Push That Knot Away and follows the same rocky edge of the previous track.

Difficulty is a difficult track to place. It's base is sounds very old techno and somehow you expect it to get faster, a bit more dancier, but it never seems to come. Still a nice track.

Fade Like A Shadow (first single in the US) is up next and a great little track returning to the sound of experienced in previous tracks already on the album. Lost starts off as a beautiful slow and relaxing track that builds the instruments used as it progresses. It maintains the overall sound of the album but yet seems to be a little tea break as a whole. Golden Frames is another little tea break track. You wouldn't be blamed for wanting to snap your fingers along with this.

All of a sudden, we're taken to a song that might be classed as a little rock 'n' roll. Yes it's Come On, Get In and may well have done well as an opening track as well. The track KT herself calls the 'Runty puppy' is (Still A) Weirdo and it's probably not something that you would automatically assume to be a KT track but it's still a lovely little relaxing track. The best way to describe Madame Trudeaux is...thing Suzie Quattro. That's all that can be said. The final track (The Entertainer) is a lovely little ender and rounds the album off perfectly.

On the whole, Tiger Suit is a great come back and shows a little experimentation and possibly the creation of an all new sound. It seems to be a natural progression for KT and on a whole, there's not a bad track on the album. Maybe the order could do with a slight tweaking, but apart from that, it's a lovely addition for any fan's collection.

Rating: 4.5/5

Alexandra Burke // Start Without You

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Start Without You is the brand new song from Alexandra Burke and RedOne (who seems to be very popular this year!). It isn’t sure whether this track is taken from a re-issue/next album/US debut album.

This track is very different from what we’ve heard from Alexandra previously. It’s a very summery, something you’d expect to hear on the beach. In a blog post Alexandra described the track as ‘going back to her roots’. Oh and if you find that you’re actually singing alternative lyrics to the chorus of this song, that’s because the song samples the Boney M classic, Horray! Horray! Holli-Holli Day.

It’s a fun little number but sadly, it probably doesn’t have any longevity past the summer holiday season but more than likely is going to be one of those songs that appears time after time when the summer season comes around.

Rating:3.5/5