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Paolo Nutini
These Streets
2006 Atlantic Records
Best Tracks:  Million Faces, New Shoes, Alloway Grove, Jenny Don’t Be Hasty, Last Request

Paolo Nutini, remember this name because in a short time, we will be hearing it a lot.  20-year-old Paisley, Scotland-born singer/songwriter has set fire to the airwaves with his own take on soulful, infectious music in his debut release, These Streets.  His voice, a recipe for persuasion, takes on the command that was present in his classic predecessors.  Imagine the storytelling prowess of Van Morrison, the scratchy-throat slink of Al Green and the sense of musical space possessed by Ray Charles… this is Nutini in a nutshell.  His ability to lay down the tracks for thought with the guidance of his music has turned the stone for a new generation of heartfelt music that people all over the world can join hands on. 

A hustling up-tempo heartbeat of guitar and percussion fade in as the first track, ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty,’ pours out about an experience he had with an older romantic interest.  Skillfully worded, it’s as if he sings this song with a mischievous smile.  Does he hide those pearly whites as much as he hides those ulterior motives?  I suppose it is led to the imagination.  ‘Last Request’ and ‘Rewind’ are moving songs about the rigors of getting involved in a romantic situation and knowing that it can’t work.  Why do people do that?  Well, a lot of people do and that is probably why these songs are stepping up to the high slots on the hot spots – people can identify with his music.  A song that really stands out from the rest is ‘Million Faces.’  Elegant string arrangements give the right foundation for young Paolo’s voice to sail through seamless harmonies.  Soulful swells and stylish phrasing similar to Al Green make this rhythm and blues calibration burst with attitude.  ‘New Shoes’ is a vibration worthy of some toe tapping and causes the rest of the body to take the cue and dance.  It’s good to see that new artists, particularly the ones that have the graces of youth, are taking the best of the old and refining them for music listening audiences worldwide.

While Paolo’s latest single ‘New Shoes’ has ranked at the 2 spot on the UK music channel, The Box, he has developed quite a following with his gold-in-two-weeks single, ‘These Streets.’  He is scheduled to make an appearance on American MTV’s TRL for the first public video viewing for his hit sensation ‘New Shoes.’  He will then be performing some major city dates on a short tour in the United States, including sold out shows in Nashville, TN and Portland, OR.  For those of you going to South By Southwest Festival, you can catch Paolo Nutini at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, TX.  If you can’t make it to one of his shows to see him in the flesh, you can get his record, These Streets, pop it into your stereo and cup your hands around a nice pair of headphones.  Just take a listen, really.  Take a listen.