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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Virgin Records Us
Salesrank: 26280
Released: October 17, 2006 |
| Our Price: $11.17 |
| Used Price: $7.29 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
Special Deluxe Edition of KT Tunstall's critically acclaimed debut release. CD includes bonus track "Immune" from One Night in Gaia performance. KT Tunstall "Live In the USA" DVD includes five live songs from her show in Washington D.C. on June 9, 2006 plus every video from "Eye To The Telescope."
Description of KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza:
If Eye To the Telescope introduced a bold new talent, KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza confirms that the Scottish singer is no fluke. Whether stripping down tracks from her platinum debut--nominated for both a Grammy and Britain's coveted Mercury Prize--or taking on Beck's tender "Golden Age," it's all about the Voice and the Voice is good. While Telescope elicited comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Björk, in acoustic mode, Tunstall sounds more like countryman Rod Stewart back when he was fronting the Faces. She's got that soulful thing down to a science, but there's nothing affected about it, and she never pushes too hard. Ten years of busking can do that for a girl (it's how she learned to use a loop pedal to duplicate the sound of a full band). Originally only available through her website, Acoustic Extravaganza doesn't include hit singles "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See," the theme from The Devil Wears Prada, but then it isn't a greatest hits collection. Recorded in two days, the CD/DVD set consists primarily of non-LP material, like the angry "Ashes," plus the featurette Five Go to Skye (Making the Album). The parental advisory warning ("explicit content") refers to the profanity in "Ashes." Otherwise, there's nothing objectionable going on here. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza Reviews:
My favorite KT album so far 
2009-12-17 - I own KT's two other albums (Eye to the Telescope & Drastic Fantastic) as well and this is by far my favorite album of hers. If you can, I recommend getting the version that comes with the DVD of how they made the album. It made me appreciate it more. The fact that she recorded this whole album over the course of two days in someone's living room is amazing. There is some cussing but it is only in the song "Ashes" (which I think is my favorite on the CD, but not because of that). So if you don't want to hear the "F bomb" (which only occurs once in the song) you can just skip that song. All in all a great buy and I'm so happy to own it.
Modern folk-Yes! 
2009-08-12 - If it werent for KT I would have thought that good music stopped being made by 85. This is so good, get this album and become a KT fan if you're not yet because you're missing out.
Simply Awesome
2009-01-18 - This is the best KT Tunstall album by a large margin. The recording does true justice to KT's voice and music. If you like KT's music you will love this album!!
The Acoustic Side Of KT Tunstall
2008-11-09 - Amazon turned me on to KT Tunstall after I reviewed Amy MacDonald's CD, This Is The Life. After listening to the samples for KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza, I was convinced it was something I would enjoy. After having listened to it for over a month now, my first impressions were correct. It is very much in the style of Sarah McLachlan's Freedom Sessions. However Extravaganza only features two (lesser known) tracks from Tunstall's debut Eye To The Telescope where as Freedom Sessions only had one previously unreleased song.
Extravaganza is also a very different type of CD than Eye To The Telescope was. While Eye To The Telescope boasted a broad variety of styles an vocal delivery, Extravaganza is much more focused. Recorded in just two days at Steve Osbourne's studio at the Isle of Skye in Scotland, it has a much more informal feel to it as a few snippets of the studio conversations and applause grace the beginnings and/or endings of some tracks. This difference in style makes the two tracks from Telescope ("Miniature Disaster" and "Universe & U") come off as being more warm and alive than the originals. The other material is just as strong with "Girl and the Ghost" and her cover of Beck's "Golden Age" being two that stand out. If you are concerned about the Explicit Lyrics label, know that it is for a pair of f-bombs on "Ashes" - a song with Alanis Morissette like anger to it. The DVD also has one additional f-bomb during the "Five Go To Skye (Making the Album)" featurette.
The DVD is a nice feature, but it probably also accounts for the slightly higher price than most individual CD recordings. "Five Go To Skye" is a behind the scenes video of the band's trip to the small studio in Scotland along with rehearsals, recording sessions, and commentary. Other features include videos for "Gone To The Dogs" and "Throw Me A Rope", a demonstration of an audio effects pedal, and a photo album from the recording experience.
Overall, KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza is a very good addition for fans of her other work. It shows a different musical side of Tunstall in an informal setting that makes for good variety. Fans of Sarah McLachlan's Freedom Sessions should also give this a spin.
What's up with the menu?
2008-08-13 - Any fan of KT Tunstall will love this, but what's up with the DVD menu?
This is a minor point overall but it drives me CRAZY (short trip). The content of both the CD and DVD are great with the CD being the high point. Great music. However, the audio on the DVD MENU is all chopped up, constantly starting and stopping. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me? :-(
How can they put out such a nice piece of work and screw up the DVD menu?
Still, this is great music, an enjoyable DVD, and HIGHLY recommended for any KT Tunstall fan.
