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so maybe we should forget that idea. This song, like many others on the album typifies the fact that although this is very much an album of the moment it would very easily slip onto the Radio 2 play list without a second glance. "False Alarm" passes buy without creating much of a stir, but as the next song wanders into view I realise that I actually know two songs by the artist. "Suddenly I See" is the sort of upbeat pop groove that the album was crying out for at this point. It has the same flavour about it as the recently re-launched Nerina Pallott who is rightly picking up a bit of airplay at long last. Heavy edged guitar power chords and dominant bass notes resonate in perfect contrast with a jaunty acoustic guitar and bouncy rim shot rhythms.

The affected guitar sounds of "Stoppin'the Love" and the slow stomp that it sets in motion are a contrast to the previous number but its sumptuous multi layered vocals and brooding background violin win through. The last two songs "Heal Over" and "Through the Dark" take the album into a darker, mellower place. Not that there's anything wrong with this but I was hoping that there would be more brighter upbeat numbers and the album seems to end on two low a note for my liking.

One of the things that she seems most proud about is the fact that she very much writes her own songs. Although with the recent flurry of young female solo acts, Tunstall seems to be hitting the scene at a very opportune time, she rightly sees herself as slightly set apart from some of her competition. As she pointed out in a recent interview Katie Melua has only two co-writing credits on her whole album and Joss Stone seems content to release an album of covers. "Self-expression" as the young Scot wryly observes, "is not a team game".

Lyrically there seems to be little new here, songs of trouble isolation and reflection seem to dominate and even the more upbeat songs seem to have a more reflective nature to them when put under the microscope. I did like this album, not as much as I was hoping I would, two more tracks akin to the singles and it would have done the job for me. That said its still a great debut and KT Tunstall is someone to look out for in the years to come.

Learn more about this author, Dave Franklin.
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