Product Description Debut album from Paolo Nutini. .com 19-year old Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini sounds older than his years on his debut album, These Streets. It's not just his careworn, smooth-as-sandpaper voice, either (although, admittedly, it does help). It's more to do with the maturity of the lyrics, and the casual soulfulness of his delivery. "Last Request" is more the work of a vintage Motown singer than a teenager from Paisley, and it's to Nutini's credit that he carries it off with aplomb. And rather like the soul singers of previous generations, he manages to sing without a hint of hypocrisy about his own sexual exploits ("Jenny Don't Be Hasty") while also questioning his girlfriend's fidelity ("Alloway Grove"). It's the fact that he's so frank, and even a little bit naive, that he manages to get away with it. And though the stripped-down tunes on These Streets don't always immediately grab the listener (the title track, in particular), the songs where Nutini is accompanied by a full band often manage to evoke sunny-day American soul ("New Shoes", for example). This is a strong debut, and considering Paolo Nutini's tender years, bigger things can be expected of him in the future. --Ted Kord
Q**7
Pure Gold
Soul, grit, rasp, pain is all heard in Paolo's debut album. For a teenager, he certainly had a strong grasp on the world. There are elements of rock, soul, jazz, contemporary all melded into this beautiful unrestrained creation. My life has become exponentially richer since discovering Paolo Nutini's brilliant work. His words move you and take you to another place while being relevant to various stages throughout our lives. Such a gem for listeners of all ages.
V**R
Young Paolo!
It is hard to believe Paolo was in his late teens when his debut album (“These Streets”) was released, because he has a handle on his storytelling. He tells of his heartbreak in a mature manner. Class act!
G**R
Simply tremendous album
I found out about Paolo on the web by sheer accident on YouTube. What an amazing soulful and mature voice he has, even at 19 (now 20). Other than Amos Lee and Martin Sexton and Stereophonics, I've not come across an artist recently whose lyrics and command of his voice is so perfect. Paolo knows just what his scottish accent works best on.I am distantly reminded of a young Rod Stewart, in the time of the Faces, way before he went mainstream pop and disco, and when he was a wee rocking lad.Saw him live in Seattle, frankly, his live stuff is way better (as good as this album is!!!). See the live stuff he's done on YouTube (the stuff his crew has released, not the cell phone concert tapings of 15 year olds) and you have to agree that Paolo is the best thing to come out of Scotland in years.Hint, the last track (Alloway Groove) is actually three songs, separated by about a minute or three of silence. At about 12:00 min into the song and after a few minutes of silence, suddenly you hear Paolo do an acoustic version of Last Request. Amazing.....
C**R
Young Man With an Old Soul
These Streets is full of songs that have an old school sound sung with a uniquely weathered voice. The lyrics are thought-provoking and capture the spirit of each song's heart-felt theme. I first heard Paolo Nutini when I was watching "the Hills," and they'd played "Rewind." I was instantly hooked. This album contains slow ballads, upbeat tunes, and mellows songs. It's a great variety of sound and worth the buy because you wind up liking every single song.
J**A
some really cool songs on here
my nephew once made me a mix that had some of these songs and I can't find it so I bought the album and still love those songs. I always thought Paolo Nutini should have gone further - he is a great singer, fine song writer, nice guitar player and really cute.
A**R
Paulo doesn't sound like anybody else
Paulo doesn't sound like anybody else, and that is why he is one of my favorite artists. His music is diverse as well and always promises something new and different.
A**L
Addicting....
Like another reviewer, I heard Paolo on the Today show and had to go find his album. I bought it and found that he had a show in Denver, so bought tickets for that show, too. This album is simply addicting; it's difficult to believe he is so young and has written all of his own songs. His songs are so honest and romantic, well, I am far too, um, "mature" to be gaga over a 20 year old boy, but I find myself there (shhhh...don't tell my husband!). "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" and "New Shoes" are the catchy songs, but the real meat of this album is in the rest of it. Even though these songs are obviously written by a young person, there isn't one song I don't enjoy and "These Streets", "Last Request" and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" are probably my favorites. His obvious love of his family is very endearing and refreshing. I think this guy is a singer/songwriter to watch. (Sheesh, do I sound like my mom, or what??)**Also, keep listening to track 10 ("Alloway Groove"). He follows it with another song (I think) and then there is about 2 minutes of silence followed by another version of "Last Request" just before minute 11 on the track 10 song.
G**A
Brilliant
I love this album, someone gave me a copy when it first came out, but after switching computers and moving information around so many times since then I had lost a few of the songs along the way. I finally made the move to buy the album and am so happy that I did. I have since bought his more recent albums and really enjoy his full body of work. He is always evolving in his musical style, trying on various genres. His voice has an impressive emotive ability that can make an average song breathtaking.
M**Y
STUNNING And AMAZING
At Risk Of Repeating Other Reviews!!.........I Will Simply Say That There Is No Need To Skip Any Tracks On This STUNNING Debut Album By an Exceptionally Gifted and Talented Young Man.Right From Track 1 "Jenny Dont Be Hasty" You Will Be Hooked, He may Be Only 20 Years Old Now, But You Wouldnt Believe It With His Soulful Voice, And The Lyrics That Much Older Artists Would be Very Envious Of.Track 2 "Last Request" Will Surely Bring Tears to your Eyes, "Rewind" Is a Beautiful Soaring Ballad, And "Million Faces" Simply Pulls at The Heartstrings, "These Streets" Is An Uplifting Little Dittie!! And Then The Bluesy "New Shoes" Which Is So Catchy Its a Foot Tapper."White Lies" We Return To The Ballads ( And What Ballads We have Here ) "Loving You" Another Piece Of Genius, "Autumn" Is Probably The Simpliest Song On The Album, Sparse in Production, Then To Finish Off We Have "Alloway Grove" an Umptempo Song Until The Last 2 Minutes Of it.We Think Thats The End!!!!!!.......................But There"s a Hidden Track!!!...............An Accoustic Version Of "Last Request" Which Really IS Stunning, And The Most Moving Moment On The Album, This Version Really Does Suit The Song, and I Prefer This Version to The Earlier Version On The Record.This Guy Is Going To Be HUGE In The Years To Come Make No Mistake About That, To Think He Is Only 20 Now Is Frightening!!!!........More Albums Like This And He Will be An Absolutle GENIUS Before He is 25This Is a MUST HAVE Album, I Have Played it Over And Over Again Since Getting It, You HAVE To Add This To Your Collection, If You Dont, You Will Be Foolish.
C**E
Im a big fun of Paolo Nutini
Im a big fun of Paolo Nutini. My dad introduced me to his stuff on 'Sunny Side up' and thats how i came across his other stuff such as this, his debut. This Album probably has the most of his well known stuff and his big singles and what have you, which are great. I didn't realise he sung half the stuff on there and i really enjoyed it - for me personally its not as good as his other two albums, i find this one a lot more 'Poppy' than the others, but its great for like background or car music, good album.
T**A
Just Cracking!
Some really good pieces on here, I can highly recommend it! Nutini has some really catchy, upbeat songs on his debut album with songs such as Jenny Don't Be Hasty, Last Request, These Streets, New Shoes and Alloway Grove. There's also some really good, lyrical pieces with a lot of meaning to them, like Million Faces, These Streets and Autumn.The top songs on this album would have to be (in my opinion) These Streets, New Shoes and Autumn. New Shoes is very catchy and a little over-played because this is so, but nonetheless it's still a brilliant track! These Streets has some very memorable lyrics and therefor will surely stick in the mind for a long time. Autumn is probably my favourite song from the album, if not because of what it's about, then because of the remarkably well thought about lyrics! This song means a lot to me now and it will most certainly stick in the mind too, but for different reasons than These Streets.All in all, a great album which is a brilliant and promising start to his career in the music industry. Excellent lyrics and some good beats on the album. Buy it! ;)
Z**C
Great
Bought a few CD's for the car as I absolutely hate radio adverts. This was the only CD I was a bit disappointed with. I love the album but it jumps now and again even though it came sealed with plastic wrapping. Still doesn't stop me listening to it though I love a bit of Paolo!
R**R
Good quality second hand album
In the process of replacing albums that have either walked out of my house on their own or not returned when lent out, or when they were returned they weren't in the best of condition. Been buying second hand albums and so far I've been really pleased with what I've bought. No complaints. Wouldn't have replaced them if I had to pay full price so I'm very happy that Amazon has given me the opportunity to do this.
