Nut is the seventh studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and the third and final album in the "soul, body and mind" trilogy. It was released on 9 September 2022, following the first two albums of the trilogy, Kin (2016) and Wax (2018). The first songs released from the album were titled "Canyons", "I Am the Pilot" and the lead single called "Private Eyes".[1]
| Nut | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 September 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2022 | |||
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| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 33:45 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer |
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| KT Tunstall chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nut | ||||
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Background
editTunstall announced the release of Nut on 28 May 2022, completing her trilogy of albums ("soul, body and mind"), with Nut being about the mind.[2] Tunstall started working on the record during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, alongside writing music for a musical.[1]
The album was written and recorded during a profound period of change for Tunstall, including hearing loss, heightened self-awareness, love and a global pandemic.[3]
The album artwork was created by Josh McCartney.[4] Tunstall talked about the album name "nut", as a word that refers to mind or brain in Scottish slang. She elaborated, "I love that the word also means a seed – the album artwork is all about the brain being a garden; you reap what you sow, you need to keep the weeds at bay, and there is an almost supernatural beauty to when things blossom".[5]
Tunstall released three singles from the album prior to its release: "Canyons", "I Am the Pilot" and the lead single "Private Eyes" – which is a song tackling a true story "of a starlet lost in her own fame, and my getting a glimpse of her gilded prison..."[6] She released a music video for each single.
Tunstall announced her first UK tour (since the pandemic) promoting the album—including shows in York, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow.[7][8]
Critical reception
editNeil Z. Yeung of AllMusic cited two of the singles, "I Am the Pilot" and "Canyons" as highlights, as well as the album opener "Out of Touch" and "Synapse".[3]
John Apice from American Highways described Tunstall's vocals as "sumptuous" and mentioned the songs "tease with danceable energy & keep the commercial silliness in check". His highlights include "Dear Shadow", "Demigod" and "All the Time".[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks produced by Martin Terefe, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Out of Touch" |
|
| 3:36 |
| 2. | "I Am the Pilot" |
| 4:13 | |
| 3. | "Three" |
| 4:08 | |
| 4. | "Dear Shadow" |
| 2:50 | |
| 5. | "Private Eyes" |
| 4:20 | |
| 6. | "Canyons" |
| 3:24 | |
| 7. | "Synapse" | Tunstall | 3:01 | |
| 8. | "Demigod" |
| 3:29 | |
| 9. | "All the Time" | Tunstall |
| 3:28 |
| 10. | "Brain in a Jar" (hidden track) |
|
| 1:16 |
| Total length: | 33:45 | |||
Personnel
edit- KT Tunstall – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 1–5, 7–9), bass guitar (1), synthesizer (2, 7, 8), programming (2), electric guitar (5, 6)
- Martin Terefe – bass guitar (1–8), electric guitar (1, 2, 4–8), acoustic guitar (1, 3–6), synthesizer (2, 4, 7), piano (2, 4, 9), percussion (2, 5, 6), backing vocals (2), vocoder (6), keyboards (7, 8), Mellotron (7)
- Kevin Cormack – bass guitar, keyboards, synthesizer solo (1)
- Jimmy Hogarth – electric guitar, percussion, programming, synthesizer (1)
- Nikolaj Torp Larsen – PCM synthesizer (1), synthesizer (3, 5, 6, 8); keyboards, sequencer drums (3); piano (5, 6)
- George Murphy – programming (1, 2, 4–6, 8), electric guitar (1, 8), percussion (2, 8); backing vocals, piano (8)
- Andy Burrows – drums, percussion (1, 4–8)
- Johnny Lynch – drums (1)
- Liam Howe – programming (6, 7)
- Clem Cherry – programming (7)
- Oliver Roman – acoustic guitar (9)
- Solomon Dorsey – bass (9)
Technical
- Dyre Gormsen – mastering
- Martin Terefe – mixing, recording
- George Murphy – recording
- Clem Cherry – recording
- Jordan Brooke Hamlin – recording (9)
- Oliver Liu – mixing assistance
- Liam Howe – additional recording (1, 4–8)
- Jimmy Hogarth – additional recording (1)
Visuals
- Josh McCartney – art direction
- Piper Ferguson – photography
- Andrew Whitton – photography
- Cortney Armitage – photography
- Muhr Design – layout
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 25 |
| UK Digital | 8 |
| UK Album Sales[12] | 5 |
| UK Vinyl Albums[12] | 11 |
| UK Physical Albums[12] | 5 |
References
edit- ^ a b Staff, G. G. M. (2022-09-01). "KT Tunstall Shares Inner Workings Of Her Mind On New Album NUT - Guitar Girl Magazine". Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ "She's here. The Mind After 7yrs, the trilogy is done". Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b KT Tunstall - Nut Album Reviews, Songs & More, AllMusic, retrieved 2022-09-11
- ^ "Art by brilliant @JashMcCartney". Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Twitter.
- ^ "It's been an amazing, crazy, painful, wonder-filled 7 years making this trilogy, and I can't quite believe it…but it's COMPLETED!!". Retrieved 2022-09-13 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Watch the #PrivateEyes music video now!". Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Twitter.
- ^ "It's your time". Retrieved 2022-09-11 – via Twitter.
- ^ "KT Tunstall announces 2023 UK tour including Newcastle date - how to get tickets". newcastleworld.com. 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ Apice, John (2022-09-06). "REVIEW: KT Tunstall "Nut" • Americana Highways". Americana Highways. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
- ^ a b c "KT Tunstall - Official Charts". Official Charts. 5 March 2005.