Originally released at the tail end of 2004, the Eye To The Telescope album catapulted Scottish Singer Songwriter KT Tunstall into the global spotlight, fuelled by an unforgettable live debut on Later… with Jools Holland – a career-defining moment that saw Tunstall seize a last-minute opportunity to fill in for rapper Nas, and perform with nothing but her guitar, loop pedal, and tambourine. Her performance of “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” became instantly iconic, one of the first examples of a ‘viral moment’ and launched a record that features several hit singles, which was given its full push in 2005 on the back of that moment. The album contained several hits, including the massive “Suddenly I See” – a song that became inextricably linked to pop culture history with its full-length feature in the opening scene of The Devil Wears Prada, forever associating both the song and Tunstall with a ubiquitous zeitgeist moment.
As many have pointed out, Tunstall is relatively rare example of a small but exclusive line of female singer songwriters, either from or adopted by this country, whose guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, is unapologetically front and centre; think Chrissie Hynde, PJ Harvey, and (Tunstall collaborator) Suzi Quatro.
A highlight of the anniversary re-release is the addition of three new songs, including current single “Cancerian,” “Anything At All,” as well as the title track “Eye To The Telescope.” These songs were started during the original writing sessions and left unfinished until this year. These three new tracks were also released on October 24th as their own stand alone digital EP – The Stargazer EP, which contains the original versions as well as the “Still” acoustic versions. Speaking about the new songs and album title, Tunstall shares:
EYE TO THE TELESCOPE: “The title for my first album was inspired by the times when my physicist Dad, who had a spare set of keys for the Observatory at Andrew’s university, would randomly get us up in the middle of the night and bundle us into the car in our pajamas to go and look through the huge telescope to see the night sky; the Moon, Saturn, Halley’s comet, all of which completely blew my mind as a kid. When I decided to call the album ‘Eye to the Telescope’, I thought I’d have a go at writing a title track, but what I began writing was so delicate, and I felt that a title track of a first album surely had to be a banger, so I abandoned it. My label BMG encouraged me to finish the song for this special re-release, and it’s been such a thrill to complete something over 20 years in the making. Having the album’s original string arranger David Davidson add his gorgeous orchestration on it, as well as Shabaka’s magical wooden flute performance, feels like a cosmic full-circle moment.”
CANCERIAN: “After deciding on my first album title, it got me thinking about horoscopes and how we have always looked to the stars for guidance. “Cancerian” is written from that middle ground of awe and skepticism, and pokes some gentle fun at anyone being sure of how the future will turn out. It was a lot of fun to record an old song for the very first time, and I loved getting the chance to work with the truly excellent Producer and Mixer Robert Adam Stevenson on this track.”
Stream Eye To The Telescope 20th Anniversary re-issue here.
August 29 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park
August 30 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
September 1 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory
September 3 – Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
September 4 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
September 6 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
September 10 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! Outdoor
September 11 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
September 12 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater
September 13 – Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
September 15 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
September 17 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
September 18 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
September 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
September 20 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
November 12 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
November 13 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
November 14 – St. Augustine, FL @ The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
November 15 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live Orlando



