Album: K T Tunstall, The Scarlet Tulip EP (www.kttunstall.com)

Andy Gill
Friday 29 April 2011 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Available only via download and the merchandise stall of her imminent US tour, The Scarlet Tulip finds K T Tunstall taking a step back from the modernist rapprochements of last year's Tiger Suit, abandoning even her familiar chunky rhythm-guitar loops for seven delicately fingerpicked folk songs featuring just her voice and acoustic guitar.

There's a reflective calm to her work on the title-track and "Hidden Heart", the latter written for Bruce Parry's Amazonian land-protection project: "Down, down, cut me down, so I can lie on familiar ground". The brief, waltzing love-song "The Punk" and "Patience" offer more intimate revelations: "My heart knows just what it wants from me/ It's not a democracy in my soul". It's all rounded off with the a cappella "Shanty of the Whale", a flinty piece sung from the viewpoint of the dismembered beast.

DOWNLOAD THIS The Punk; Hidden Heart; Patience; Shanty of the Whale

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in