Record Reviews

KT Tunstall

Album: “KIN”

Grade: A

The last time Hillary Clinton ran for president, one of her campaign songs was KT Tunstall’s pretty “Suddenly I See.” Eight years later, it’s fitting that as Clinton runs again, Tunstall has re-emerged with an excellent new album, “KIN.”

The Scottish singer-songwriter is oozing confidence and musicality on the 11-song CD , something largely missing from her work since her 2004 multiplatinum album, “Eye to the Telescope,” with its funky pop grooves like “Black Horse & the Cherry Tree.”

The new guitar-driven album is peppered with songs about self-empowerment and self-realization. It’s as if a mature Tunstall has emerged from somewhere nasty and is happily blinking in the sunshine.

“Maybe It’s a Good Thing” is the strong, danceable first single, but the upbeat “KIN” shines throughout, from “Two Way,” a fuzzy guitar duet with James Bay, to the sublime “Love Is an Ocean” and the mournful, mature title track.

—Mark Kennedy, Associated Press

jack white

Album: “Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016”

Grade: B+

Jack White’s “Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016” anthologizes his unplugged material from the White Stripes to the Raconteurs and beyond, the unvarnished tunes of a top-notch songwriter.

Album versions, remixes and the previously unreleased “City Lights” add up to an engaging 26-track chronological collection which cries out for an electric companion to complete the portrait of rock’s most modern traditionalist.

“City Lights” got its start during sessions for the White Stripes’ 2005 record “Get Behind Me Satan” and was completed this year without Meg White.

Quality attractions include “Never Far Away” from the “Cold Mountain” soundtrack, the stripped-down murder ballad “Carolina Drama,” the spirit of the Zombies on “Apple Blossom” and the Alex Chilton vibe of “We’re Going to Be Friends.”

—Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press