Single Review: KT Tunstall – ‘Invisible Empire’
2 min readKt Tunstall burst onto the music scene in 2005 with her debut album Eye To the Telescope and the hugely successful singles Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (which was one of the most radio-played songs in the UK in 2005) and Suddenly I See, which was used in the opening credits of the film The Devil Wears Prada. From there, Tunstall has released three more albums, ranging from her usual pop/folk music, to her last album, Tiger Suit, which she describes as “nature techno”, a mix of organic instrumentation with electronic and dance textures.
Her new album, Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon, and the latest single Invisible Empire, show a much more grown up Tunstall, having recorded the album as her father was dying and she herself was going through a divorce. Invisible Empire tiptoes in with circular guitar patterns before being joined by easy-going brushed drumming, sweet piano flourishes, and Tunstall’s beautiful, lilting lyrics, singing of the necessity for change and those illusory objects that block her way. The track feels so much more stripped back from her previous work; totally bare and honest. Her lyrics create stunning imagery (“But I look to the chips I lose/ Standing on the platform with my neck in the noose/ And I know it’s not my time, it’s not my time”), and the loose arrangement allows for her voice to really express the pain she’s feeling.
Invisible Empire is a breathtaking view into a difficult time in the Scottish singer/songwriter’s life.
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