:: Paolo Nutini - These Streets

Paolo Nutini

‘These Streets’ is an interesting album and I don’t mean that as a backhanded compliment. It’s one of those albums that genuinely capture you, and best of all it does it by just being itself. There are few bells and whistles, or overly sleek production values that provide only short lived moments of pleasure. This is a CD of simple, honest and straightforward songs. Nutini has a generous and soulful sound, his vocals perfectly ragged and weary. He is complimented by a gentle acoustic that serves as the final touch to a package that becomes increasingly irresistible. The title track ‘These Streets’ embodies all these qualities and shows us that there is great strength in being vulnerable. That’s not to say the album is all mellowed out ballads, there is most definitely a beating rock heart under this subdued exterior. Nutini explores his tougher musical sensibilities in tracks such as ‘New Shoes’ and ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’, the latter a young mans plea to an older woman not to dismiss his interest due to age difference. All this adds up to an impressive debut form the singer songwriter, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.