Drastic Fantastic
Encyclopedia
Drastic Fantastic is the second studio album
by Scottish
Singer-songwriter
KT Tunstall
. It was released by Relentless Records
on 10 September 2007 in the United Kingdom
and 18 September 2007 in the United States
and Canada
. The album was leaked on P2P
networks on 3 September 2007. "Hold On
", the lead single
was released on 16 July 2007 in the United States
.
On the U.S. Billboard 200
chart, Drastic Fantastic debuted at number nine, selling about 50,000 copies in its first week.
In Scotland
, KT beat both Kanye West and 50 Cent to make it to number 1 in the Scottish Album Charts.
Drastic Fantastic charted at #72 in the UK end of year chart selling around 225,000 copies in 2007.
As of August 2008, Drastic Fantastic has sold 215,000 copies in the United States.
gave Drastic Fantastic five stars, stating the album was "bursting with so many hits that Tunstall's comic-book life is about to go stratospheric". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, and said that the album's sound was a "flashback" to 1997 by noting similarities between the songs on Drastic Fantastic and songs written 10 years earlier. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic gave the album four out of five, calling Drastic Fantastic "a rare beast: a pop album with a songwriter's heart".
However, some critics were less impressed, stating that the album was overproduced and lacked the "folky" touch of her previous album Eye to the Telescope
. The Guardian gave it three stars, stating "Tunstall could do better".
pre-order edition of Drastic Fantastic.
In the iTunes
Deluxe Edition, the following music videos are included.
In addition, it comes with fifteen minute long documentary by film director Chris Bran as well as two digital booklet
s.
Most songs on Drastic Fantastic are not new songs. An acoustic version of "Little Favours" and "Paper Aeroplane" appeared on the 2000 demo album 'Tracks In July'. "Little Favours" also appeared as the B-side to "Under the Weather
". "If Only", "Funnyman", and "Saving My Face" appeared on the demo album 'Toons March '03'. Finally, Tunstall mentioned writing two new songs, "Hopeless" and "White Bird", in a blog entry from 2003.
The song is featured on the Brazilian Soap Opera Três Irmãs.
"Someday Soon" is available as a single on Internet music stores such as iTunes
and Rhapsody
. It was featured in the film The Women
in a montage featuring Annette Bening and Meg Ryan.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
. It was released by Relentless Records
Relentless Records
Relentless Records, founded by Shabs Jobanputra and Paul Franklyn in 1999 is now a part of Sony Music based in London, UK. Having achieved large scale successes with Joss Stone, KT Tunstall and several urban artists such as Artful Dodger and So Solid Crew, the label is now building a small focused...
on 10 September 2007 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and 18 September 2007 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The album was leaked on P2P
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
networks on 3 September 2007. "Hold On
Hold On (KT Tunstall song)
"Hold On" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . The song was released as the album's first single on 16 July 2007 in the United States and on 13 August 2007...
", the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
was released on 16 July 2007 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
On the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, Drastic Fantastic debuted at number nine, selling about 50,000 copies in its first week.
In Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, KT beat both Kanye West and 50 Cent to make it to number 1 in the Scottish Album Charts.
Drastic Fantastic charted at #72 in the UK end of year chart selling around 225,000 copies in 2007.
As of August 2008, Drastic Fantastic has sold 215,000 copies in the United States.
Reception
The album received warm, though conservative, praise by most critics. Music critics from The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
gave Drastic Fantastic five stars, stating the album was "bursting with so many hits that Tunstall's comic-book life is about to go stratospheric". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, and said that the album's sound was a "flashback" to 1997 by noting similarities between the songs on Drastic Fantastic and songs written 10 years earlier. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic gave the album four out of five, calling Drastic Fantastic "a rare beast: a pop album with a songwriter's heart".
However, some critics were less impressed, stating that the album was overproduced and lacked the "folky" touch of her previous album Eye to the Telescope
Eye to the Telescope
Reviews for Eye to the Telescope were positive. Mark A. Price of PopMatters gave the album a score of 7 out of 10, noting that it manages to sound "both new and familiar", mixing influences from artists like Melissa Etheridge and Fiona Apple while adding some originality of her own...
. The Guardian gave it three stars, stating "Tunstall could do better".
Track listing
- "Little Favours" – 3:09 (KT Tunstall)
- "If OnlyIf Only (KT Tunstall song)"If Only" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and Jimmy Hogarth for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2008...
" – 3:46 (Tunstall, Jimmy Hogarth) - "White Bird" – 3:13 (Tunstall)
- "Funnyman" – 2:56 (Tunstall, Martin Terefe)
- "Hold OnHold On (KT Tunstall song)"Hold On" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . The song was released as the album's first single on 16 July 2007 in the United States and on 13 August 2007...
" – 2:57 (Tunstall, Ed Case) - "Hopeless" – 3:41 (Tunstall)
- "I Don't Want You Now" – 3:48 (Tunstall)
- "Saving My FaceSaving My Face"Saving My Face" is a song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for the Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic...
" – 3:38 (Tunstall) - "Beauty of Uncertainty" – 5:01 (Tunstall)
- "Someday Soon" – 3:53 (Tunstall, Hogarth, Sam DixonSamuel DixonSamuel Dixon is an Australian record producer, songwriter and musician, based in London.He has frequently collaborated with fellow-Australian Sia Furler. His compositions have featured on her albums, Some People Have Real Problems, Colour the Small One and We Are Born...
) - "Paper Aeroplane" – 3:16 (Tunstall)
Bonus tracks
These bonus tracks appear on the iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
pre-order edition of Drastic Fantastic.
- "Suddenly I SeeSuddenly I See"Suddenly I See" is a song by British singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album, charting at #12 in the UK Singles Chart . The single was a hit in Australia where it charted at #6 on...
" (Live) - "Hold On" (Live from The Today Show) – music video
- "Bad Day" (UK only)
- "Mothgirl" (UK only)
In the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Deluxe Edition, the following music videos are included.
- "Black Horse and the Cherry TreeBlack Horse and the Cherry Tree"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released on 21 February 2005 as the lead single from the album, charting at #28 in the UK Singles Chart...
" - "Suddenly I SeeSuddenly I See"Suddenly I See" is a song by British singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album, charting at #12 in the UK Singles Chart . The single was a hit in Australia where it charted at #6 on...
(Standard Version)" - "Suddenly I SeeSuddenly I See"Suddenly I See" is a song by British singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is featured on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album, charting at #12 in the UK Singles Chart . The single was a hit in Australia where it charted at #6 on...
(Larger Than Life Version)" - "Under the WeatherUnder the Weather"Under the Weather" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and Tommy D and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's debut album Eye to the Telescope . It was released as the album's fourth single on 5 December 2005...
(Radio Mix)" - "Other Side of the WorldOther Side of the World"Other Side of the World" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and is the opening track on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope. It was released 9 May 2005 as the second single from that album and became her first UK Top 20, charting at #13 in the UK Singles Chart...
" - "Hold On"
In addition, it comes with fifteen minute long documentary by film director Chris Bran as well as two digital booklet
Digital booklet
Digital booklets are the digital equivalent of liner notes that often accompany digital music purchases. They are most commonly distributed in Portable Document Format. One well-known distributor of digital booklets with digital purchases is the iTunes Store; the first instance of this on the...
s.
Most songs on Drastic Fantastic are not new songs. An acoustic version of "Little Favours" and "Paper Aeroplane" appeared on the 2000 demo album 'Tracks In July'. "Little Favours" also appeared as the B-side to "Under the Weather
Under the Weather
"Under the Weather" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and Tommy D and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's debut album Eye to the Telescope . It was released as the album's fourth single on 5 December 2005...
". "If Only", "Funnyman", and "Saving My Face" appeared on the demo album 'Toons March '03'. Finally, Tunstall mentioned writing two new songs, "Hopeless" and "White Bird", in a blog entry from 2003.
Singles
- "Hold OnHold On (KT Tunstall song)"Hold On" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . The song was released as the album's first single on 16 July 2007 in the United States and on 13 August 2007...
" was released as the album's lead singleLead singleA lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
on 16 July 2007 in the United States, and on 27 August in the United Kingdom.
- "Saving My FaceSaving My Face"Saving My Face" is a song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and produced by Steve Osborne for the Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic...
" was chosen as the second single; it was released on 12 November 2007.
- "If OnlyIf Only (KT Tunstall song)"If Only" is an alternative rock song performed by Scottish singer KT Tunstall. The song was written by Tunstall and Jimmy Hogarth for Tunstall's third album Drastic Fantastic . It was released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2008...
" was released on 3 March 2008.
- A video for the song "Little Favours" was released in many music channels of Brazil (such as MTV BrasilMTV BrasilMTV Brasil is the Brazilian version of MTV, owned by Abril Mídia, the nation's largest magazine publisher, under license from Viacom - owned MTV Networks Latin AmericaMTV Brasil is one of two versions of MTV available in free-to-air terrestrial television...
& MultishowMultishowMultishow is an entertainment channel owned by Globosat, Organizações Globo's cable and satellite television channel operator. It was launched in 1991, as one of the company's first four channels ....
). The video is directed by Chris Bran, did not feature KT and only shows a KT TunstallKT TunstallKate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
fan and ex-teacher Mr. Fritte with a puppet with strings, that he calls The Tunstallator.
The song is featured on the Brazilian Soap Opera Três Irmãs.
"Someday Soon" is available as a single on Internet music stores such as iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
. It was featured in the film The Women
The Women (2008 film)
The Women is a 2008 American comedy film written, produced and directed by Diane English. The screenplay is an updated version of the George Cukor-directed 1939 film of the same name based on a 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce....
in a montage featuring Annette Bening and Meg Ryan.
Personnel
- KT Tunstall — vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Luke Bullen — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Sam Lewis — backing guitar
- Steve Osborne — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing guitar, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Arnulf Lindner — bass, double bass
- Kenny Dickenson — piano, keyboards
- Cat Sforza — backing vocals
- Gita Harcourt — backing vocals
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Europe | |
| Australia | |
| Canada | |
| United States |
Chart positions
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S Billboard 200 Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
9 |
| U.S Billboard Alternative Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S Billboard Rock Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S Billboard Digital Albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
9 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| Scottish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
10 |
| European Top Albums | 7 |
| Canadian Top 100 Albums | 10 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
21 |
| French Albums Chart | 30 |
| German Albums Chart | 35 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 43 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 35 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 22 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 48 |