KT Tunstall News

KT Tunstall may have "The Devil Wears Prada" and "American Idol" to thank for her overnight success. When two Tunstall gems — "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See" — were featured on the movie and reality TV show, the Scottish singer-songwriter met a much wider audience. Her 2006 debut, "Eye to the Telescope," was a hit.

Tunstall's smoky vocals and introspective folk-pop are again front and center on her sophomore disc "Drastic Fantastic." Her lyrics are no less soulful: "Hold on to what you've been given lately/ Hold on `cause the world will turn if you're ready or not," she sings over plucky guitar and hand claps on "Hold On," the album's energetic first single.

That warning suggests Tunstall may worry that she'll follow other songstresses — Lisa Loeb, anyone? — into the graveyard of one-disc wonders. That won't happen, though, as long as she keeps writing lovely tracks like "Hopeless," a deceptively uplifting song that screams "Grey's Anatomy" closing montage. In a good way.

Tunstall continues her message of female empowerment on this album. She defiantly tells off a loser guy in "I Don't Want You Now," which has a punk-rock vibe. She avoids the temptation of plastic surgery in "Saving My Face," even though she would "give everything just for a taste."

Her nimble wordplay shines on the uptempo character study, "Funnyman," about a self-destructive friend who can't seem to follow through on his lofty plans. "You're so honest and true/ I don't want to feel sorry for you," she says.

Tunstall, a soul-searcher, makes melancholy musings sound invigorating — never depressing. Is she a long-lost member of Coldplay? Wait — don't answer that.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: On "Beauty of Uncertainty" Tunstall takes her singular voice to its sultriest level.