This article needs additional citations for verification .(July 2016) |
Kin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 9 September 2016 [1] | |||
Recorded | 2015–2016 | |||
Studio | The Hobby Shop The Motherbrain Sunset Sound (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:14 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Tony Hoffer | |||
KT Tunstall chronology | ||||
| ||||
KT Tunstall studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Kin | ||||
|
Kin is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released on 9 September 2016 worldwide,following up her previous album,the folk-toned Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon . It was preceded by the Golden State EP ,which included one of the songs from the album,"Evil Eye". The album was produced by Tony Hoffer in a studio in Los Angeles.
It peaked at number 7 on the UK and Scottish album charts and number 96 in Switzerland.
Tunstall announced through Facebook in 2015 that a new record would be released in 2016. However,no title track,title album or release date was announced. She also revealed she was working with producer Tony Hoffer during a few chat live with the fans,where she even played live the song "Feel It All" and what was next going to be the promotional single "Evil Eye".
She recorded the album in a studio in Atwater Village,Los Angeles,a place that inspired her a lot of songs,according to her. After her fourth studio album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon,two years before the album release,Tunstall had considered quitting the album music industry in order to write music for movies. She had entered the Sundance Institute's elite Film Composers Lab in order to give her career another direction. She admitted in an interview with Broadway World:"I stopped. I gave up. I didn't want to do it anymore." [3]
Two years later Kin was born. Produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck,Fitz and the Tantrums,Air,M83 and more),and written and recorded by Tunstall in L.A. "The truth is,I've finally made peace with being a pop songwriter," Tunstall says. "This record was very much embracing my dharma as an artist,which is to write positive songs that have muscle,but also show their vulnerability." [4]
Kin is the first album in a trilogy of records by Tunstall,which all cover the themes of "soul,body and mind." [5]
The album is composed of eleven tracks. The lead single off Kin is called "Maybe It's a Good Thing". The song was released on 15 July,and a clip video was released on 1 August. Along with the single release,an acoustic version and as well as a "Bit Funk Remix".
The promotional single "Evil Eye" is also on the album. It was the very first song to be released from the album,but it was initially released as a single from the Golden State EP. Another promotional song was released on 19 August,It Took Me So Long to Get Here,But Here I Am. The song then became a single in November 2016. A music video was broadcast on 30 November 2016.
Following "Maybe It's a Good Thing",Tunstall announced that the first radio broadcast for her second single,"Hard Girls",would premiere on the ZoëBall show for BBC Radio. A music video of the song,featuring Melanie C from the Spice Girls,was broadcast on 13 September 2016. [6]
The song "Love Is an Ocean" was also released as a single,with a video on 17 November. The song is a ballad that closes the album.
Another notable song is the duet,"Two Way",with 2016 Grammy Award nominee,James Bay. Bay and Tunstall met during Jools Holland's Hootenanny. Tunstall had read in an interview that he was a fan of hers,so she chatted with him and they decided to record a duet. Tunstall says in an interview with the UK newspaper Evening Standard that Bay is "one of the most talented new songwriters," and added "it was fantastic to work with him.". [7] "Kin" is the title track of the album,and it is a ballad. Tunstall describes it as one of her favourite tracks,and wanted to name the album from this song.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.2/10 [8] |
Metacritic | 72/100 [9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Yahoo! | (favourable) [12] |
At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album has an average score of 72 based on 6 reviews,indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]
Among the positive reviews,Rolling Stone magazine wrote "At its best,the album is a power-pop gem. [...] Kin clicks when Tunstall's vocals dig deep on tracks like "Evil Eye" and "Run on Home," and when she and James Bay strike a sexy,slow-rolling groove on "Two Way," it makes an awfully good case for going back to Cali." The magazine rewarded the album with 3,5 stars out of 5. [11] Yahoo! also gave a good review of the album,stating "Embracing her rock-pop gifts,Tunstall seems at peace —and we're the beneficiaries. It may have taken her long to get here but KIN shows it was worth it." [12] AllMusic,who gave the album four stars,wrote "What gives Kin its weight is Tunstall's craft. Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon proved that she could turn inward and be gripping,but by turning that aesthetic inside out -- this is an album about embracing the outside world -- she's every bit as compelling. " [2]
The Irish Times however criticised the album and Tunstall for losing "some of her va-va-voom" and saying further "The Scot's sixth album is a departure from the melancholy,bare-boned folk of her last (double) album,Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon,but that's not necessarily a good thing." [13]
Shortly after its release,Kin was ranked number 5 on the Official UK Albums Update midweek chart,and finally peaked at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart. Sales in the UK were better than her previous album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon,which peaked at number 14 in the UK in 2013.[ citation needed ] It is Tunstall's fourth top 10 album in the UK after Eye to the Telescope and Drastic Fantastic peaked at number 3,and Tiger Suit at number 5.
No. | Title | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hard Girls" | KT Tunstall | Tony Hoffer | 3:14 |
2. | "Turned a Light On" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:34 |
3. | "Maybe It's a Good Thing" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:01 |
4. | "Evil Eye" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 3:34 |
5. | "It Took Me So Long to Get Here, But Here I Am" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:18 |
6. | "On My Star" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:16 |
7. | "Two Way" (featuring James Bay) | Tunstall, James Bay | Hoffer | 4:53 |
8. | "Run On Home" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:27 |
9. | "KIN" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:17 |
10. | "Everything Has Its Shape" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:23 |
11. | "Love Is an Ocean" | Tunstall | Hoffer | 4:17 |
Total length: | 46:14 |
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
Swiss Albums Chart | 96 |
Scottish Albums Chart | 7 |
UK Albums Chart | 7 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [14] | 72 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [15] | 29 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [16] | 23 |
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | 9 September 2016 | Caroline, Sony/ATV Music | CD, digital download CD+DVD |
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland. She has released eight studio albums internationally: Eye to the Telescope (2004), Drastic Fantastic (2007), Tiger Suit (2010), Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon (2013), Kin (2016), Wax (2018), Nut (2022), and a collaboration album with American musician Suzi Quatro, Face to Face (2023). She has also appeared in two episodes of the comedy series This is Jinsy on Sky Atlantic.
"Other Side of the World" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, included as the opening track on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope (2004). The song is about the problems of long-distance relationships and how they seldom work out. It is based on a true story of two friends Tunstall had who were a couple but one lived in Scotland and the other in the United States.
Eye to the Telescope is the debut studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, originally released on 13 December 2004 and re-released 10 January 2005 by Relentless Records. On 19 July 2005, it was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize in the United Kingdom. Tunstall promoted the album in the United States and Canada in December 2005. The album was released on 7 February 2006 in the US. Also, a special CD/DVD edition of the album was released in September 2006 in the United States, along with a different cover and a bonus track.
"Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her debut studio album, Eye to the Telescope (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet Patti Smith, whose album cover for Horses (1975) also inspired Tunstall's album cover for Eye to the Telescope. The song was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as the album's second single on 27 February 2006.
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her 2004 debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It is one of many songs that reuses the famous Bo Diddley beat from the influential 1955 song of his own name. The track was released on 21 February 2005 as the lead single from the album, charting at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart the same month. The following year, the single became a hit outside Europe, reaching No. 7 in Canada and No. 20 in the United States and New Zealand.
Drastic Fantastic is the second studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It features some unreleased tracks she wrote before Eye to the Telescope such as new tracks she wrote in 2003. The record was released by Relentless Records on 10 September 2007 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, on 15 September in Australia, and 18 September 2007 in the United States and Canada. However, the album was leaked on P2P networks on 3 September 2007.
"Hold On" is a song by Scottish singer KT Tunstall, written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's second album, Drastic Fantastic (2007). The song was released as the album's first single on 16 July 2007 in the United States. It was then released in the United Kingdom as a download single on 13 August 2007 and as a CD and 7-inch single on 27 August 2007. "Hold On" peaked at number 21 on the UK Singles Chart, number 19 in Norway, and number 26 in Italy and Switzerland. In North America, the song reached number 46 in Canada and number four on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, topping the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart for 11 weeks.
The discography of KT Tunstall, a Scottish rock and folk recording artist, includes eight studio albums, seven as a solo artist, a a collaboration album with Suzi Quatro, and twenty-three singles. In addition to her recording work, she has also written various soundtracks for movies. In 2014, Tunstall wrote "Miracle" as an official soundtrack single for the film Winter's Tale, and "We Could Be Kings" for Million Dollar Arm.
Tiger Suit is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released by Relentless Records in Ireland on 24 September 2010, in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States and Canada on 5 October 2010. It was released in Europe on the 22 and 25 October 2010. The Japanese edition, released on 22 September, features two additional tracks: a cover of LCD Soundsystem's "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" and "It Doesn't Have to Be Like This (Baby)"
"(Still a) Weirdo" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the UK lead single from her third studio album Tiger Suit (2010), on 19 September 2010. Written by Tunstall herself and Greg Kurstin, and produced by Kurstin, the song is an acoustic rock ballad and talks about still the same (weird) person after many years. It received critical acclaim, with the majority of the critics complimenting Tunstall for the ability to make an intelligent, simple song. It charted inside the top-forty on the UK Singles Chart at No.39 and as of 2023, remains her last UK top 40 hit. It charted also on the Belgian charts. In the music video, Tunstall travels back in time to the 1960s.
Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon is the fourth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released on 10 June 2013 in the United Kingdom, entering the UK Albums Chart at Number 14, and on 6 August 2013 in the United States and Canada, debuting at number 64. It has a more country folk sound than her previous album, Tiger Suit.
"Feel It All" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the UK lead single from her fourth studio album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon, on 29 April 2013 through iTunes on 1 May 2013 through Amazon, and was released as a physical single on 10 June 2013. The cover for the single depicts Tunstall in a desert, with minimal outfits, wild-looking, pointing out the natural, acoustic influences of the album.
"Invisible Empire" is a single by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the third single from her fourth studio album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon, on 19 August 2013 through iTunes, Amazon and other platforms. The cover for the single depicts Tunstall wearing medieval outfits, holding a rusting crown in front of the sea. The song was first played live in 2012 in a concert with Daryl Hall, and then, it was played a few weeks before the album release on the Jools Holland show and on some radios. A music video premiered on 30 July 2013, and was acclaimed by critics for its Game of Thrones medieval style.
Golden State EP is a 2016 EP studio release from KT Tunstall preceding the release of KIN, recorded in Los Angeles.
"Evil Eye" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the UK first promotional single off her fifth studio album KIN. The song was released at the same time as the Golden State EP along with the songs "All or Nothing", "The Healer", and a remix of it. It was released through iTunes on 16 June 2016.
"Maybe It's a Good Thing" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as the lead single off her fifth studio album KIN. The song was released on 15 July 2016, right after the Golden State EP and its promotional single "Evil Eye". The song was produced by Tony Hoffer.
"All or Nothing" is a song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall. It was released as part of her Golden State EP along with the songs "Evil Eye", "The Healer", and a remix of "Evil Eye". It was released digitally through iTunes on 16 June 2016.
"Two Way" is a duet song by Scottish recording artist KT Tunstall and English singer-songwriter James Bay. It was released on 9 September 2016 with her fifth studio album KIN.
Wax is the sixth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and the second album in the "soul, body and mind" trilogy. It was released on 5 October 2018, following up the first album of the trilogy, Kin. The first single from the album is "The River", released on 23 August 2018.
Nut is the seventh studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and the third and final album in the "soul, body and mind" trilogy. It was released on 9 September 2022, following the first two albums of the trilogy, Kin (2016) and Wax (2018). The first songs released from the album were "Canyons", "I Am the Pilot" and the lead single "Private Eyes".