Eye to the Telescope

iTunes Review

This Scottish-bred singer-songwriter, who schooled in Connecticut where she was exposed to the Grateful Dead and 10,000 Maniacs, has enjoyed great success in Europe where her songs were immediately embraced by public and press alike, winning Best British Female Solo Artist at the Brits. Recorded just shy of her 30th birthday, Eye to the Telescope has the sound of experience working for itself as the slicker pop productions ("Other Side of the World," "Another Place to Fall") give way to the less adorned compositions that fill out the second half of this ambitious debut album. Tunstall's jazzy inflections give an extra sprint to "Under the Weather" and "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," which is how you might expect a jazz singer influenced by Billie Holiday to handle a Paul Simon composition. Rickie Lee Jones' streetwise attitude streaks through the uptempo tunes and the slinky slow-walk of "Universe & U," while Joni Mitchell's smoky, latter-day blues inform the quietest moments ("Silent Sea," "False Alarm"). Yet, while Tunstall's approach is schooled by these influences, she sounds like her own woman throughout.