Two years ago, KT Tunstall thought she was done with music. “I didn’t want to do it anymore, I was utterly burnt out,” she said.
Relocating to California has happily rejuvenated the Fife-born singer, who is now back on the on the road with a new three-piece band.
Nominated for a Grammy, and a winner of a Brit award, Tunstall’s songs have been used everywhere, from the opening credits of The Devil Wears Prada, to American political campaigns.
It is 12 years now since she first leapt out of the TV screen, delivering a mesmeric solo performance with a looper pedal on Jools Holland’s Later show.
Reunited with her tambourine, after a fan swiped it at a gig in Wick last week and then sent it back the next day in a taxi, KT Tunstall rocked a packed, sweaty Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Saturday night as part of a lengthy tour.
A sharp support set from Callum Beattie set the evening up well.
A former Edinburgh busker, his voice and guitar really grabbed the audience. The Paolo Nutini flavoured material was well received, with the strong melodies of opener Bonfires suggesting that Beattie is destined for bigger things.
Ten past nine and KT Tunstall hit the stage, all silver strides and smiles. Despite some fun confusion with her crew after misreading her own setlist, we got 75 minutes of early hits mixed with a large dose of songs from her forthcoming album, Kin.
Vocally she is both gritty and tender, at times a cross between Stevie Nicks and Christina Aguilera.
This came across on Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, and the dreamy (dare I say Dido-esque) Other Side of the World, during which the audience lit up the venue with their phones. It wasn’t quite Glastonbury, but a nice moment.
In the live setting Tunstall faced a challenge in melding her earlier, acoustic driven songs with the more processed, commercial sound of the new album.
Her excellent band met this head on, with New York bass player Solomon Dorsey switching seamlessly between delivering smooth four-string grooves, and triggering sequenced sounds.
Creative high points were new tracks Evil Eye and the driven, pure pop of Maybe It’s a Good Thing.
The new material’s uplifting melodies having a Coldplay feel that the audience immediately responded to. Throughout all of this, Tunstall engaged the audience with her warmth and humour, telling stories and conveying real affection for performing in Scotland.
An encore of Run By My Home and an extended Suddenly I See, with audience “woo hoos” and she was gone. With a new album to promote, and territories to conquer, it may be a while until she returns. When she does, catch her if you can.