Inspired by artists like the Drifters, Ray Charles, John Martyn and Van Morrison, Paolo Nutini has emerged from the streets of Paisley, Scotland to make an impact on the U.S. music scene.
Named by Rolling Stone in 2006 as one of the ten artists to watch, Nutini’s soulful original debut CD, “These Streets” has certainly proven them right.
Nutini was also added to the list of artists on VH1′ s “Artists You Oughta Know” this year. Putting him on this tour of lesser-known artists has done nothing but make him even more popular, having the public wanting more and more of this Scottish heartthrob.
Originally from Scotland, the land of William Wallace and man-skirts, Nutini did not jumpstart his career until he made his move to England where he solicited the help of Ken Nelson to produce, his premier album.
Nelson, who has worked with Coldplay, Badly Drawn Boy and Ray LaMontague, helped Nutini in putting together a collection of fun and different songs that will not be soon forgotten.
The ten-song album features an array of songs ranging from the upbeat pop sounds of “New Shoes” to heartfelt ballads like “Last Request”.
At only 20-years-old, Nutini surprises listeners with lyrics and deliveries on “These Streets” that would seem to come from an artist that has lived a long and experience-filled life. With his ability to tell a story, you could almost close your eyes and see the lover he sings out to in “Loving You” and see her smile when he says to her, “So many people think we’ve got it wrong, they’ll try and break us, but we won’t play along.”
From the title track come lyrics that tap into the emotions of Nutini’s move from his beloved Scotland to England, “Cross the border into the big bad world where it takes you ’bout an hour just to cross the road just to stumble across another poor old soul.”
Don’t let his Italian sounding name confuse you because Nutini is all Scot. His thick Scottish accent is what makes his music that much more entertaining to listen to and offers a dif
ferent sound to break up the monotonous noise spewing forth from American pop stars.