New Music Review: KT Tunstall's "The Scarlet Tulip EP"

KT Tunstall has certainly made a name for herself for her radio hits like "Suddenly I See" and "Black Horse and The Cherry Tree".  Tunstall's real talent, however, is her ability to make amazing music with just her voice and her guitar. Her new EP "The Scarlet Tulip", released just last Friday, is a great highlight of that. Read on for my review!
KT Tunstall was once just another musician with a guitar pan handling on the streets-now, 3 full studio albums an acoustic EP later, she's embarking on a "solo" tour and has coincided said tour with her release of "The Scarlet Tulip EP", which Tunstall says she recorded with her drummer and husband Luke Bullen in studio in the English country-side.  Here's a breakdown of the tracks:

The Punk-Tunstall's crystal clear voice is displayed with a bouncing vocal melody over a nice repeating guitar pattern in this seemingly loving tune about a punk that Tunstall perhaps once new. It has a wonderful, playful innocent tone to it and sets the album off nicely.

Skinny Lou-This track is also full of funny, playful lyrics with classic folk influences. It's a nice one to cozy up to a fire with.

Hidden Heart-This is a tune Tunstall started to debut in live shows over the past year or so. I was disappointed to find it wasn't included in her new full-length studio album Tiger Suit, so I was happy to see she included it in this EP. It fits in nicely with the rest of tunes and in many ways sounds like a lost folk track from an artist like Neil Young.

Scarlet Tulip-The title track has some of the best sounding guitar work KT has ever done, with a wistful, loving, and cozy finger-picked guitar part.  Tunstall's voice is also as clear as ever, making this one a real stand out.

Patience-My favorite track on the album. It's a very "campfire" song, with a rolling, bouncing guitar line and nice sounding "wooo-ooooh"s from KT. Catchy, fun, and great.

Alchemy-Tunstall's guitar line sets the tone early as a reflective, almost saddened one that continues with her light, airy vocals. A nice song, and a perfect compliment to a gray, rainy day.

Shanty of the Whale-The last track on the album, it leaves quite an impression. This one is Tunstall's take on the classic sea shanty (songs men would sing working on ships out at sea). It features only Tunstall's voice and it's very powerful and memorable. A very cool way to end the album, and one of the best tracks she's ever done.

With "The Scarlet Tulip EP", KT Tunstall continues to prove that has real, raw talent that shines through when it's just her and and an acoustic guitar, playing in a small room in a bare bones way.

The EP does not disappoint, and is a must have for any Tunstall fans and those who can appreciate great acoustic music.

Grade: A-