| Product: |
These Streets - Paolo Nutini |
| Date: |
29.04.07 (444 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Some decent bouncy pop songs
Disadvantages: Too much James Blunt style vocal work
Around five years ago, there was a sudden rush of female solo singer-songwriters coming from North America. They all varied in terms of their sound, their sales and their long term impact, with only their home continent and the fact their debut albums were released at roughly the same time in common.
All these years later and it appears that British male singer-songwriters are the sound of the year. James Blunt took on the Avril Lavigne role; a song the public loved and which sold millions, but which got really quite annoying very quickly. For Norah Jones we have James Morrison, the more laid back and soul influenced among them. In place of Michelle Branch, with the most low key approach of them, not one to attract too many headlines, but no less worthy of a release is Scottish teenager Paolo Nutini.
The album opens on “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty”, which has a blues influenced and bass heavy pop rock sound. Although the vocals are quite light and have more of a pop sound, the music reminds me a little of the Kings of Leon and, as someone who likes the pop-rock sound, this is an encouraging start to an album.
Although “Last Request” does have a guitar introduction, it’s obvious very early on that this will not be more of the same. This is a down tempo pop song with a soulful edge to both the guitar and the vocals. It’s not as smooth as James Morrison, but Nutini doesn’t have the annoying vocal quality of James Blunt and the combination of the two makes me think of Daniel Powter’s sound, making this a decent guitar led pop ballad.
This theme is continued for “Rewind”, although there’s also a hint of piano in the background. This time, there is a bit of a whine to Nutini’s vocal and he does sound a bit more like James Blunt, which isn’t really the best idea. This is another pop ballad, but weak in comparison to the previous track.
The intro to “Million Faces” doesn’t give much encouragement that things will improve, but then the vocals come in and it’s not nearly as bad. This time around, Nutini has gone for a far more laid back tempo and a more soulful vocal, making this sound like a James Morrison ballad. He doesn’t quite hit those heights as he doesn’t have the same amount of soul, but it’s a pretty good attempt, which is no bad thing.
There’s a touch of blues in “These Streets”, giving the song an edge that elevates slightly above the guitar led pop ballad it might otherwise have been. Sadly, the vocals have lost their soulful edge and there’s a little of the James Blunt whine returning here, which means this is a difficult song to listen to often, as it gets annoying a bit quicker than most on the album.
As if in compensation for this, the next track is my favourite on the album. It was hearing “New Shoes” on one of the music channels that persuaded me to buy the album in the first place and no matter how often I listen to it, it’s still an enjoyable song. It’s an up tempo pop song with a bouncy beat and a cheerful tune, making it the perfect song now the weather is getting better and summer is on the way.
Unfortunately, this isn’t to continue and “White Lies” takes the album back to the ballad tracks. Once more, this is an acoustic guitar led pop ballad, much like James Morrison’s sound, but without the soulful edge on the vocals. On the plus side, however, the James Blunt whine is also absent and the strings make this sound musically a little like Jeff Buckley, although the vocal performance is not even close to matching up to this.
The tempo is up a little for “Loving You”, although it’s not got the bounce of “New Shoes”. There’s a touch of soul to the vocals, making this sound like a mid-tempo James Morrison track although, much like his work, there’s an 80s soul feel that reminds me of Terence Trent D’Arby in some points.
There’s something different happening with “Autumn” in that it’s a piano led track, rather than using the acoustic guitar. Sadly, this combined with a slight whine to the vocals makes this sound like a James Blunt track and it’s another, along with “These Streets” that I can’t listen to often without getting a little annoyed by it.
There’s a wonderfully bouncy start to “Alloway Grove” that makes this one of the stand out tracks, along with “New Shoes” and “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty”. It’s another cheerful up tempo pop tune and one you can’t help but tap your foot along to. This is the case for the first four minutes or so, at least and then it becomes another song entirely, this one a ballad with a touch of James Blunt about it. Then after this, there are a few minutes of silence and then a stripped down reprise of “Last Request”, which seems fairly pointless as a hidden track. You’re getting three songs for the price of one here, but I would only have paid for the first one anyway.
Of the trio mentioned above, Paolo Nutini is very much the middle ground. He’s not nearly as annoying as James Blunt, despite the occasional bland moment. On the down side, he’s not as consistently good as James Morrison, despite some great pop tracks and an occasional soulful edge to his vocal delivery.
The album as a whole is a little bit of a disappointment and reminds me in some ways of K. T. Tunstall’s “Eye to the Telescope”. Both Nutini and Tunstall are at their best when they pick up the tempo and let themselves go. The tracks at either end of this album and “New Shoes” in the middle show what Nutini is capable of, but he can also descend into James Blunt style annoyance, as well as some decent enough songs in the middle. This inconsistency can get quite maddening at points and I would prefer to have heard some more up tempo songs.
Still, Nutini is still only a teenager and there is certainly hope for his next album, as it’s clear he knows how to put a decent song together. If you’re into either James Morrison or James Blunt or both, this is a good album to be having. Indeed, if you’re a fan of K. T. Tunstall, this is an album you should certainly be buying, as this is most similar to her sound, except with a male vocal.
If this is your kind of thing, it’s been out long enough that the prices are starting to come down. New copies are still £7.99 from CD Wow or £8.95 and £8.98 from Play and Amazon respectively. But for second hand copies, the Amazon Marketplace will take £5.32 and eBay has had copies available from 99 pence which isn’t bad money for what is a harmless enough pop album, with the occasional inspired moment. It’s not an essential purchase, but if you like your pop guitar led and laid back, this will be right up your street.
Summary: The male K. T. Tunstall.
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