Paolo Nutini | ||
| Allmusic Biography : In much the same way that José González hails from Sweden and not Spain, Paolo Nutini is not a smooth Italian pop star, but rather a soul-influenced adult alternative songwriter from Paisley, Scotland. Raised in a music-loving family, he grew up listening to a range of folk, opera, jazz, and his fathers R&B; favorites. Shortly after discovering homegrown folkies like John Martyn, the teenaged Nutini left school to focus on his own musical development, eventually moving from Paisley to London at age 16 and garnering attention via local gigs. He inked a deal with the British arm of Atlantic Records two years later, just several weeks after his 18th birthday. Working with Coldplay and Badly Drawn Boy producer Ken Nelson, Nutini generated an impressive amount of buzz before his first single, "Last Request," was released in the early summer of 2006. He appeared at special Atlantic Records showcases at Carnegie Hall and the Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as opening for the Rolling Stones and Paul Weller. Nutinis debut album, These Streets, was ultimately released in July 2006 alongside his second single, "Jenny Dont Be Hasty." The album fared quite well in the U.K., where it climbed to double-platinum status and sent four singles into the Top 40. Accordingly, an American release followed in January 2007. For Nutinis second album, the songwriter took a more active role in the production, partnering with Ethan Johns but helming much of the material himself. The resulting record, Sunny Side Up, appeared in June 2009, featuring increased contributions from Nutinis backing band and a bright, sprightly disposition. Sunny Side Up was a number one hit in the U.K. -- one of the biggest-selling albums of the year -- and went on to claim Best Album at the Ivor Novello Awards. Nutini entered the studio in 2011 to begin sessions for his third album, and an appearance on Johnny Boy Would Love This...A Tribute to John Martyn was followed in 2011 by performances at Glastonbury, Latitude, and the Montreux Jazz Festival, before Nutini reached his (arguably) largest ever audience as part of Londons 2012 Olympics Games concert at Hyde Park. Following his heavy tour scheduling and a breakup with his childhood sweetheart, Nutini took time away from music to rediscover the inspiration that was the driving force behind his first two records, and returned to his hometown Paisley. Eventually, the songs began flowing and Nutini recorded his third record, Caustic Love, which featured American vocalist Janelle Monáe; it was released in April of 2014. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: These Streets Released: 2006-07-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jenny Don’t Be Hasty (03:28) 2 Last Request (03:40) 3 Rewind (04:19) 4 Million Faces (03:41) 5 These Streets (03:53) 6 New Shoes (03:22) 7 White Lies (04:02) 8 Loving You (04:00) 9 Autumn (02:52) 10 Alloway Grove / Northern Skies / Last Request (acoustic version) (14:12) |
| These Streets : Allmusic album Review : Its easy enough for a teenager to write songs about heartbreak and falling in love and all those difficult places in between, but it is much less easy to do so without coming across as whiny or melodramatic. Paolo Nutini, who was still a teenager when he recorded his debut, These Streets, manages for the most part to successfully convey his (barely) post-pubescent feelings of love and lust (which are often interchangeable) fairly convincingly. He certainly has some help -- every track has at least one other co-writer -- but Nutini, with his prematurely world-weary gravely voice, does his part to show honest emotion. On his first single, the fantastically poppy "Jenny Dont Be Hasty," the singer tries to convince an "older woman" that his youth doesnt have to negatively affect their relationship, and though the lyrics are fairly simple, as they are on all the tracks on the album (the overt metaphor in "New Shoes," for example, is more than a little hackneyed), theyre effective and almost endearing in the way he tries to pretend to be older ("Dont treat me like a baby/Let me take you where you let me," he pleads). Occasionally he does go a bit overboard and tries to be too adult, like in "Rewind" -- a weak point in the album -- where he reminisces about the relationship he had had two years before, when he was 16, and it ends up seeming forced. Generally, however, his sentiments are expressed in a way that convey his age appropriately, like in "Loving You," which has him singing bluntly, "I think its time for all those morals to leave/Lets get down and freaky baby," or in the title song, where he confesses that growing up can be overwhelming, and is touchingly honest and insightful and not dragged down in its own reflection. Nutinis Scottish brogue mixes nicely with the albums (sometimes too) clean production, and it all works well to make blue-eyed soul-influenced radio pop, with melodies that take a minute or so before they grab you, so that theyre catchy but not annoyingly so. These Streets wont blow anyone away with its creativeness or ingenuity, but its done well and its direct and open and enjoyable to listen to, which is more than enough. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: Live Sessions Released: 2006-09-12 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Jenny Dont Be Hasty (live at Par Street) (03:35) 2 Last Request (live from Bush Studios) (03:17) 3 These Streets (live from Bush Studios) (03:31) 4 New Shoes (live from The 12 Bar) (03:27) |
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: Last Request Released: 2006-10-14 Tracks: 3 Duration: 08:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Last Request (03:40) 2 No No No (02:41) 3 Sugar Man (02:06) |
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: Sunny Side Up Released: 2009-05-29 Tracks: 14 Duration: 43:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 10/10 (02:57) 2 Coming Up Easy (04:19) 3 Growing Up Beside You (03:24) 4 Candy (04:59) 5 Tricks of the Trade (02:32) 6 Pencil Full of Lead (02:27) 7 No Other Way (04:26) 8 High Hopes (02:57) 9 Chamber Music (02:28) 10 Simple Things (02:33) 11 Worried Man (03:01) 12 Keep Rolling (02:36) 13 Smokey Joes Cafe (02:43) 14 Funky Cigarette (02:29) |
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: Caustic Love Released: 2014-04-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 51:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Scream (Funk My Life Up) (03:09) 2 Let Me Down Easy (03:32) 3 Bus Talk (interlude) (01:30) 4 One Day (05:06) 5 Numpty (03:54) 6 Superfly (interlude) (01:13) 7 Better Man (05:29) 8 Iron Sky (06:13) 9 Diana (03:35) 10 Fashion (03:06) 11 Looking for Something (06:21) 12 Cherry Blossom (06:17) 13 Someone Like You (02:09) |
| Caustic Love : Allmusic album Review : Caustic Love is the first album of new material from multi-platinum singer and songwriter Paolo Nutini since 2009s Sunny Side Up. On that album, the whiskey-voiced Scot explored retro-soul and R&B piecemeal, weaving them into his pop palette. In the interim, the 27-year-old has been soaking up the soul and funk sounds of Motown, Atlantic, Stax, vintage New Orleans, Daptone funk, and more. Co-produced by the artist with engineer Dani Castelar, Caustic Love was recorded with a large band in Glasgow, Valencia, London, and New York. Its songs, drenched in libidinal energy, are framed inside a sound thats gritty yet sonically rangey. "Scream (Funk My Life Up)" evokes the psychedelic funk of the Temptations. Its reverb, breaking snares, fat basslines, chunky guitars, churning vamp, and crisp horns buoy a vocal that oozes sexual desire. "Let Me Down Easy" places Nutini in a midtempo duet with a Bettye LaVette vocal sample; he does his best Marvin Gaye to match her emotion. "One Day" recalls "Its a Mans Mans Mans World," layered with strings, rumbling percussion, furious bass, with an eerie spooky B-3 a la "Good Vibrations," and a female backing chorus, and offers a nod to Sam Cooke; Nutinis vocal soars between crooning and growling. "Numpty" owes a debt to songwriter Allen Toussaint and singer Lee Dorsey for using the melody in "Working in the Coal Mine." "Better Man," the albums hinge-piece, is one of the few tunes here that showcases Nutini as an emotionally intuitive singer/songwriter. It suggests the hungry Caledonian soul of the young Van Morrison, illustrated with a large female backing chorus, acoustic and electric guitars, and a knot-tight rhythm section. Single "Iron Sky," is an indictment of religious institutions as systems of control; it contains bluesy, slippery psych-funk and unfolds gradually, gathering steam with big brassy horns and crashing cymbals framing the singers dramatic delivery and contains an extended sample from Charlie Chaplins monologue from the Great Dictator. "Fashion" is greasy funk with Janelle Monáe adding a fiery feminist rap to the middle. "Looking for Something" pays homage to DAngelos nocturnal g-funk soul. "Cherry Blossom" is a lusty psych rocker with a guitar riff that suggests the Cults Billy Duffy, while the mix recalls Echo & the Bunnymen in the late 80s. Closer "Someone Like You" finds the singer accompanied only by a bass in a Dion-esque early rock & roll ballad, though a stacked set of Beach Boys-style harmonies in chorale style floats in before a harp whispers it out. Caustic Love is all about vintage sounds; its fine songs and provocative mix pay service to that stunning voice. While this set uses retro styles almost excessively, it is a thoroughly contemporary pop record in approach and execution. It takes real nerve to pull something like this off, but Nutinis swagger is easily matched by the quality of the material and his inspired performance. | ||