Paolo Nutini, Royal Festival Hall, London

(Rated 4/ 5 )

Reviewed by Warren HowardBR itxtvisited="1">

Paolo Nutini, Royal Albert Hall, London
Cranes, Jazz Café, London

He's vain, sings reggae like Sting and has terrible posture. But just try telling that to the ladies...

Reviewed by Simon Price

Stars tune in for 100th birthday

Rebecca Gray

Published on 29 Dec 2009

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/editor-s-picks-ignore/stars-tune-in-for-100th-birthday-1.994941

Paolo Nutini makes 100th birthday wish come true

Dec 29 2009 by Cameron Hay, Paisley Daily Express

Paolo Nutini sings to his great aunt Mary Castelvecchi

PAOLO Nutini kept a promise to his great aunt to sing Happy Birthday at her 100th birthday party.

And yesterday beaming centenarian Mary Castelvecchi said: “I wasn’t surprised. I knew he would come along and make my day.

“He said he would and he didn’t let me down. He sang Happy Birthday in that special voice of his, gave me a kiss and a great big cuddle.

“I had a wonderful time with all the family. There were about 100 people there and it was just great.

“I’m a wee bit tired today after all the celebrations but it was worth it.”

Paisley soul sensation Paolo – whose second album Sunny Side Up knocked American hip-hop favourite Eminem off the top of the album charts in June – put his own spin on the song at the celebration on Sunday ... the eve of Mary’s birthday.

Her niece Nadia Fletcher told the Paisley Daily Express: “She had a fabulous time on her birthday.

“Paolo joined the family at the party and sang happy birthday for Mary. She was delighted. It was a fantastic party.”

The Nutini family and former River City actress Carmen Pieraccini were among guests at the family bash in Gabriels pub.

James Wardrop, the well-known Deputy Lieutenant for Renfrewshire, was also there to hand over a telegram from the Queen ahead of Mary’s big day yesterday.

She was born on December 28, 1909 in Cowcaddens, Glasgow, to Fausta and Guiseppe Pieraccini before they moved to Paisley when she was just a few months old.

At that time Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith had the keys to Downing Street and Theodore Roosevelt was in the White House.

The British Empire was the world superpower and cars were still a luxury owned only by the wealthy.

Mary has lived through two world wars, 18 Presidents, 19 Prime Ministers and five different British monarchs.

Her father, who was born and raised in Barga, Italy, opened his first chip shop on Johnstone Street called Central Restaurant in 1909.

In 1932 Mary married and settled down with her husband Settimo, the brother of Paolo’s grandfather, who was ten years her senior.

Mary worked through the years at her father’s chip shop, where she remained until 1958 when she left to go to Italy because her husband became ill.

Settimo, which means seven in Italian and was given to him as he was the seventh Castelvecchi brother, passed away in 1962.

Mary stayed in Barga until 1997 when she decided to come back to Paisley to live with Nadia and her husband Robert.

Yesterday there were more celebrations in store for the good Buddie. Family and friends turned up with a huge big cake for Mary to share with her great great grand nephew Lewis, who was celebrating his first birthday.

http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/renfrewshire-news/2009/12/29/paolo-nutini-makes-100th-birthday-wish-come-true-87085-25482366/

Paolo Nutini loves Italy.. and Italians love Paisley boy Paolo

Dec 23 2009 By Paul English

THE taxi driver test is always a good gauge.

The guy driving the cab through Milan has already introduced Celtic and Rangers into the conversation, now he's moving on to Hearts and Hibs and struggling to get his tongue round the pronunciation of Edinburgh.

Then comes the acid test. Will the name of the most famous Scots-Italian in the pop charts mean anything to him?

"Paolo Nutini? Si," he says. "He sings. My daughter likes him very much. He is Scottish but a Nutini is an Italian."

The 22-year-old Paisley buddy with the Tuscan bloodline is everywhere. Huge posters are plastered along a building's gable wall and one of his hit songs, Candy, is on Italy's Deejay TV in the hotel.

These serendipities have answered my first question just hours into a two-day trip in the shadow of the biggest-selling male solo artist of 2009.

Paolo Nutini is Scottish but is to Italy what Rod Stewart is to Scotland - if not native, then gladly adopted.

When The Brief flies out to meet him on the Milan-Florence leg of his European tour, the singer, whose family hail from Barga in Tuscany, is within touching distance of the end of a six-month touring slog.

That night, he's playing in front of his biggest audience of the tour and is the main attraction in Milan's vast Pala Sharp arena after the gig was upgraded from a smaller venue because of ticket demand.

He has supported The Rolling Stones and played massive festivals - but this is different, he says.

Every one of the 8000 hot-dog munching, T-shirt-buying Milanese fans are here to see just Paolo, and he's a bit nervous about that.

Back-stage, members of his band are preening themselves, applying hair gels and neatly pressed shirts before support act Will And The People close their set.

There's a whiff of something sweet in the air - it could be aftershave or maybe the odour of what some would call rock 'n' roll decadence.

After all, Paolo's never hidden his controversial peccadilloes - there's a track about one of them on the album.

On tonight's evidence, that number has become a fans' favourite but every song raises a cheer which could lift the roof off the Pala Sharp. The response to Paolo is immediate, and from start to finish the crowd know every word.

It's a surreal experience seeing thousands of Italians singing the Paisley street names of Glenfield Road and Orchy, referenced in These Streets, in one of Europe's style capitals.

One woman, a Glasgow-born window-dresser for Prada, waves a giant Saltire. An hour later, she skips deliriously into the night with her flag autographed.

Paolo, though, is remarkably placid, almost downbeat, as he pads barefoot and bare-chested through the corridors immediately afterwards.

The cartoon boxer shorts peeking over the top of his burgundy cords seem more excited than he is.

"I felt like I was standing up there in the buff," he says, quietly. "That was big, man. Massive."

The post-show party turns into a late one. Teenage fans stand in the cold at the venue's gates, eagerly waiting for Paolo to appear. They scream when he waves from the window but at 2am the security guard sends them home.

The next day, Paolo's schedule includes our photoshoot at 3pm in the graceful Tuscan city of Florence, two hours south by train. And when he arrives, the singer is looking remarkably fresh given the late night.

Yet even young pop pin-ups aren't falling over themselves to have their photo taken the morning after the night before. As tourists murmur and point during our shoot at the Piazelle Michelangelo, he slowly warms to the situation. By the time the taxi drops us back in his hotel, the cobwebs have been blown away by the fresh air and the man with the camera.

Five hours before his next appearance, he ponders why he wasn't bouncing off the ceiling the previous night in Milan - despite such an ecstatic response.

"It was just so big, like the SECC," he says. "I've not played the SECC yet. I don't think I'm ready, to be honest. The place swallows up the subtleties and nuances in songs. Those are the kind of things I want people to hear.

"I worried that was happening last night. But, from what the sound man and everyone has been saying, it was a good vibe.

"Maybe I need to develop a bit more confidence. You have to go out and grab the thing by the horns. You need to be on them, not let them be on you. The more the show went on, the more comfortable it got but sometimes I feel like I'm standing in front of them all in the buff.

"I've not developed a persona on stage - there's no alter-ego. I'm just the same guy on stage as I am off it. Last night, I think I needed an alter ego, some other role I could walk into."

Isn't the experience of performing in front of tens of thousands at major international festivals and touring with The Rolling Stones more intimidating? Apparently not.

"Something like T In The Park is a different thing," Paolo says. "I feel more kindred to people who are covered in mud and jumping around in a field, as opposed to this arena layout with hot-dog vendors outside.

"That's where I'm not so comfortable - even as a gig-goer. Maybe I should just bite the bullet."

All this is contrary to the evidence we see from the wings of the stage during both gigs. Paolo seems entirely comfortable with the adulation on stage - sometimes more so than off it.

Nevertheless, he points out that once the mayhem of the tour subsides - and before the next one begins with a double header at London's Royal Albert Hall on April 8 and 9 - he's looking forward to feathering his nest, having bought his first home.

"When I come back home after touring, life becomes very f***ing normal very, very fast," he says.

His mum and sister have arrived in Florence to catch that night's gig, and his girlfriend, Teri Brogan, is on the end of the phone back in Renfrewshire.

Does he yearn for female company on an all-male tour? "I get back to see her if I have a couple of days off," he says. "She's doing well but it has been hard this time. She has been very patient and understanding."

When he does go home, it's to Paisley, not London. The pre-launch publicity campaign for Paolo's album generated unexpected headlines earlier this year when he criticised Renfrewshire Council for his home town's decline.

The council's robust defence that Paolo should come and see it for himself was one-upped when he bought his luxury pad there. The town is his home and he has surprising plans to help its regeneration.

He says: "I'd like to get the right people together and invest in somewhere decent for gigs in the town - somewhere small like King Tut's in Glasgow.

"It has to be somewhere people would want to go to that isn't a cinema multiplex, that's had a bit of thought put into it and not just another big chain. It would be a question of getting the right guys in, getting the building, knowing the sound you want from it, and knowing what you want to do. I'm sure I could persuade a few bands to come along."

Paolo was, let's not forget, discovered at a civic reception in Paisley Town Hall for BBC Fame Academy winner Davie Sneddon when he was just 16.

"Aye," he says, laughing, fiddling with the zip on his ankle boots. "Where's my civic reception? How come I never got one?"

It's a half-joke. Paolo's able to get serious if need be and the record company execs don't escape the sharp end of his tongue either.

Even at 22, he displays a canny streak of cynicism and a determined will, and is surprisingly critical of his first album, These Streets.

He says: "When I listen to my last record, I don't hear a bad record. I just hear a record that has been produced with no soul. You make a record then some guy comes in and does a job on it because you've listened to what folk at the record company want you to do.

"With this record, I didn't let anyone convince me of anything.

"The guys who work on the record label are all there to do a job. But the only reason you know them is so they can make money off you.

"But I don't feel angry at those guys. I have a bit of admiration for them. I'm intrigued at how they've made me do things.

"The label have done a good job not over-killing the record once it came out, although they did want me to do stuff like press the button on the Lotto draw. They didn't care if I went on and nutted the f***ing thing, but there was no way I was doing it."

With 2.3million copies of his last album sold, and a million of the follow-up, he won't need to be tuning in for Lotto draws either.

Yet he thinks people get "confused" when they assume he can afford to retire his parents from their chip shop and support his family for the rest of their lives.

"The numbers paint a picture," he says. "I'm blessed but people think that means you see £100 the way you saw a tenner before. That's frightening, especially when it bleeds into your relationships."

Later that night, Paolo, his entourage and family enjoy a lock-in at an Irish bar. No-one's expecting him to foot the bill and everyone gets their round in. Drink flows, songs are sung and the singer holds court. The previous night's stage-fright has gone and he is high on the adoration of 2000 screaming Florentines.

"When I come to Tuscany, I get the same feeling I get when I go home to Paisley," says Paolo, smiling tonight. "I sort of feel like I'm me again..."

Paolo's next single, 10/10, is released on January 11.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2009/12/23/paolo-nutini-life-is-great-but-i-ve-still-got-my-feet-firmly-on-the-ground-86908-21918234/

 

 

Paolo Nutini: I'm no Twit

By BECI WOOD

Published: 07 Oct 2009

SCOTTISH singer PAOLO NUTINI has taken a swipe at stars who spend more time updating Twitter than getting stuck into their work.

ASHTON KUTCHER, DEMI MOORE, LILY ALLEN and KATY PERRY are all avid members of the Twit pack.

But the gravely-voiced star says he doesn't get the obsession with telling fans his every move.

He says: "I don't really get it. I do have an account but it's not always me updating it.

"Why would I like to be just writing random sentences all say?

"I don't think: 'Oooh I am going to tell everyone I know that I just woke up.'

"I don't care if the fans know that because I'd rather they know I'm concentrating on my music.

"Plus I don't have the time."

Paolo was in slightly sombre mood after getting back from a US tour.

After hitting No1 in the UK in June with his album Sunny Side Up, the self-admitting perfectionist feels the reaction Stateside was a let down.

He said: "It's not been massive. It's been steady. It's not always easy.

"The tour has not been on the back of some massive record label campaign."

Paolo added: "The label seem a lot more hesitant to put everything behind this as opposed to the last one. The recession perhaps has given them the hesitation.

"The less we spend, the less we owe. But on the other extent the less exposure you have the more difficult it makes getting that hit that fulfils everybody's expectations.

"It's more had to be through doing lots of gigs and hope that people start telling their friends."

But it's not all doom and gloom in Paolo-land.

The ultra-talented chap is eagerly looking ahead to the UK release of cracking new single Pencil Full Of Lead.

It went down a storm when he performed a barn-stomping version in an intimate Biz Session earlier this year.

Watch it below.

He said: "The UK has been great.

"It was great to go to No.1 with the album.

"I'm glad Pencil Full Of Lead is getting released as a single as I originally wanted it to be the first song out.

"It's a great fun song to sing."

Pencil Full Of Lead is out on November 2.

Paolo's album Sunny Side Up is out now.

Watch Paolo's Biz Session in full - including brand new track Growing Up Beside You - by clicking HERE .

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2672270/Paolo-Nutini-slams-stars-who-are-obsessed-with-Twitter.html#ixzz0Tf3R7FCF


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2672270/Paolo-Nutini-slams-stars-who-are-obsessed-with-Twitter.html#ixzz0Tf3DVULp

Paolo Nutini, Hammersmith Apollo, London

On the sunny side of the beat

Reviewed by Chris Mugan

Monday, 5 October 2009

 

He has already shown he can impress an older generation, by opening for both the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, now the son of a Paisley chip-shop owner is wowing a younger generation on this sizeable headline tour.

Screeching from close to the stage is almost as impressive as Paolo Nutini's gravelled, old-man voice. Let us call them Nuteenies, the predominantly female contingent that swoon whenever their hero raises up an extra notch his occasionally histrionic delivery. Not that the solo artist is gearing up to be another Marti Pellow. As his second album shows, Nutini takes his craft very seriously indeed.

Since he debuted in 2006 with the ho-hum, James Blunt-cloning These Streets, its little boy lost has matured enough to take the whip hand over recording its follow up. Sunny Side Up is a tribute to the furthest reaches of black music's influence on rock'n'roll, country and folk. It is an ambitious challenge that Nutini does well to almost pull off. Live, his mumbling and precarious stoop might suggest to some he has arrived half-cut, though knowing nods to the crowd and an easy rapport with backing band the Vipers, now augmented with a brass section, suggest he is sharp as a pin.

His distinctive, oft-derided vocal style remains, though – the one that brings to mind Vic Reeves's club singer covering Van Morrison. Nutini is gradually finding his own lyrical stance and sometimes has the sense to let his words breathe. This happens most effectively on "Worried Man", his country-inflected ode to a subject struggling to keep up with a fast-changing world, a suggestion that the singer still has his own feet on the ground. Elsewhere, he is happy to contend with a pared-back accompaniment, most pleasingly on "High Hopes" with ukulele and harmonica.

Vocal embellishments tend to overpower more romantic numbers. Here, Nutini crashes into every cliché going, whether clumsy invitations to "get down and dirty" or his cod lover-man emoting. When he fools himself into thinking his billets-doux deserve such reverence, the Vipers step in. Not content to bask in his reflected glory, they are keen instead to enjoy themselves just as much. The group are to the fore from the brisk, brass-led ska of opening number "10/10" and help rough up earlier material to create a seamless whole, notably on break-up song "Alloway Road", which now comes with the needle of petty humiliation.

Covers are liberally strewn throughout the set, including a jaunty version of the Coasters' "Down in Mexico", which works better than Nutini's own dopey update on "Love Potion No. 9". "Funky Cigarette" suggests he has been spending too much time with Dundonian reprobates the View. Later, fidgety moments on Love's "Alone Again Or" betray a lack of confidence. Then again, the 22-year-old slavishly follows the original enough to suggest he is unsure what to add to the song of himself. At least he is heading in the right direction.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/paolo-nutini-hammersmith-apollo-london-1797675.html

Paolo books in to roar out against racism

Sep 29 2009 by Andrew Newport, Paisley Daily Express

SINGING sensation Paolo Nutini will give his backing to a high-profile campaign to stamp out racism by headlining a special gig next month.

The Paisley chart-topper has agreed to perform at the sell-out Rock Against Racism (RoAR) gig free of charge in a bid to tackle bigotry and prejudice.

A sell-out crowd will witness the concert, which is being backed by the Scottish Government and sponsored by Radio Clyde.

It is not the first time that former St Andrew’s Academy pupil Paolo has stood up against racism.

The talented singer-songwriter also performed at the RoAR gig that was staged in Kelso three years ago, just as he was making his big breakthrough in the music industry.

And, yesterday, Paolo told the Paisley Daily Express he can’t wait to take centre stage at this latest RoAR event, which will take place at the St Brides Centre in Edinburgh on Monday, October 12.

“I’m really looking forward to doing the Rock Against Racism show,” said Paolo, whose new single Pencil Full of Lead will be released on Monday, October 26.

“The last RoAR show I played in Kelso back in 2006 was amazing – the crowd was so up for it.

“RoAR’s a really worthwhile initiative and helps to drive home the message that there’s no place for racism in Scotland.”

A series of live music gigs have been organised as part of the RoAR campaign and these aim to celebrate Scotland’s multi-cultural society, as well as helping to tackle racist attitudes.

The free shows take place across Scotland in both established and more unusual venues.

Minister for Housing and Communities, Alex Neil, expects the Edinburgh gig to be a huge success.

He said: “October 12 will see Paisley’s very own Paolo Nutini performing at the third Rock Against Racism gig of 2009.

“The last two gigs, which featured the Noisettes and Sugababes, have been a real success and it will be fantastic to have a Scottish act bringing home the anti-racism message to a young audience.

“RoAR is continuing to go from strength to strength and is one of the cornerstones of the Scottish Government’s One Scotland campaign.”

Siobhán Crampsey, of Bauer Radio Events, which is organising the RoAR gigs, is convinced Paolo will go down a storm with the Edinburgh crowd next month – just like he did in Kelso back in 2006.

She said: “That first show was at the beginning of Paolo’s career – he was just 19 at the time. Although the first singles and the album had been released, he was really just starting out, yet he totally rocked the Tait Hall, in Kelso, and I’m sure a lot of young Scots are now saying ‘I was there’. It was an incredible show.

“It’s a huge pleasure to welcome Paolo back three years on. He’s had a tremendous few years and is now one of the biggest Scottish artists around. We’re thrilled that, once again, he’s supporting Rock Against Racism.”

For more information about the RoAR with Paolo Nutini gig, go online at www.RockAgainstRacism.info

l The Paisley Daily Express has teamed up with Radio Clyde and the Scottish Government’s One Scotland campaign to offer two lucky readers the chance to enjoy Paolo’s RoAR gig with a friend.

Tickets to RoAR with Paolo Nutini cannot be bought but you can be in with a chance of being there by answering this question: What is the name of Paolo’s new single?

Send your answer, along with your name, address, age, and daytime and evening telephone numbers, to Paolo Nutini Contest, FAO Andy Newport, Paisley Daily Express, 14 New Street, Paisley, PA1 1YA.

The closing date for entries is Friday, October 2, and two lucky winners will each win a pair of RoAR with Paolo Nutini tickets.

This contest is strictly for over-14s only. Winners aged 14 to 17 must be accompanied to the gig by a responsible adult. Usual competition rules apply.

 

 

Paolo Nutini - Empress Ballroom - 27-09-09 28 September 2009 By Lisa Ettridge HE may have an impossibly un-Scottish name but from the second he opens his mouth, there can be no doubt which side of the border Paolo Nutini is from. Although at a first glance he might appear a little boy band-ish (if you overlook the Davy Crockett hat) in fact he is anything but. Those who only know the singles may have been expecting an evening of easy pop but what followed was eye-poppingly eclectic. It was impossible to predict what sound would come next in his 80 minute set, he burst onto stage with the riotous, bouncy Alloway Grove and soon woke the cuddling couples. When High Hopes followed, it brought an almost reggae feel and a voice that made him sound like a whisky-steeped Bob Marley . B-side Smokey Joe's Rock Cafe brought in a bit of blues while there were flavours of folk, in some of his acoustic numbers. Later there was swing, country and even a little bit of ska thanks to the brass ensemble. Pop fans weren't disappointed either, women in the audience screamed when single New Shoes was belted out and sang their hearts out with Candy. Despite there being up to nine musicians on stage at times, they were no match for Nutini's voice. Listening to him it is hard to believe he is 22, Scottish and rather on the slight side. He brought a fantastic energy and almost caused a riot with the encore hungry audience. He finished with single Last Request which went down a storm – but in fact there seems to be much more to Paulo Nutini which is well worth exploring. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Paolo-Nutini--Empress-Ballroom.5682965.jp Paolo Nutini 'wants Scottish super-group' Tuesday, September 29 2009, 10:23 BST By David Balls, Music Reporter Paolo Nutini 'wants Scottish super-group' Paolo Nutini has revealed that he is eager to collaborate with some of Scotland's most successful groups on a new music project. The 22-year-old, who hails from the town of Paisley, named acts including Glasvegas and Franz Ferdinand as top of his current wish list. "I'd like to get together with people like James from Glasvegas," he told the Daily Star. "I spoke to Franz Ferdinand in Canada and we've a studio in Glasgow. I love Noisettes so I would not mind doing something with Shingai too." Nutini has previously claimed that he had made a pact with Kyle Falconer from The View to work on some new material together. "[Kyle] is such a good songwriter and he's for real. In the early hours one morning we agreed to do a mini album together," he said. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/mu...ish-super-group.html   PAOLO Nutini came to Nottingham last night for the second date of his UK tour. This Is Live's Zoe Kirk grabbed a chat with the Scottish singer-songwriter, backstage at Rock City. He tells us about hanging out with The Rolling Stones, the track he recorded with The View and the change in style on his number 1 album, Sunny Side Up. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/entertainmentnews/VIDEO-Backstage-interview-Paolo-Nutini/article-1377935-detail/article.html

 

Paolo Nutini - Chrystal Ballroom

(Portland, OR; Sept. 14, 2009)

text: Alice Falzone / photos: Alice Falzone

Paolo Nutini came to Portland on September 14, and he and his band absolutely rocked the Crystal Ballroom!

His usual stage presence was fun to watch and loved by the fans.

As a photographer, I did not have my usual and much appreciated photo pit to shoot from. For the first three songs, I got to shoot from behind stage-left. This allowed me to look straight into the fans’ eyes and watch their love and devotion towards Paolo. 

He sings hunched over and loudly into his mic. He faces the crowd and is really only a couple of feet away from them. His stage energy was amazing. Very inspiring and fun to watch. I was surprised no over jumped up on stage, actually, there was so much energy in the room. By no means was the ballroom filled to the brim, but the few hundred people who were there packed themselves to the front of the stage like happy, happy sardines!

Paolo is such a young performer—born in 1987 in Scotland—but is already so big in the music industry and so talented, with his song and lyric writing. With his mix of rock, pop, reggae, and jams, he has tunes capable of pleasing everyone, from every walk of life! I suspect he will be around for a long, long time . . . .

DOWNLOAD: Paolo Nutini - New Shoes (MP3) or Follow us for more Paolo Nutini MP3s(Twitter)

http://www.melophobe.com/concert-reviews/paolo-nutini-chrystal-ballroom-portland-or/

Paolo Nutini – Concert Review and Photos on Sep18 2009

Hunched over while grabbing his side and bellowing out songs with a powerful raspy voice, Scottish-born Paolo Nutini delivered a performance that reminisces of a time when such music was banned for its sinful appeal. Nutini has revived a sound that captures different genres in music history and gives it an undertone that reaches out to the modern day music listener.

I couldn’t help but feel myself consumed by the music and needing to get up to the front of the theater to be part of the vibes and energy exuding from the stage onto the floor. There was no way for me to stay still because the music demanded movement and participation. After listening to the opening act of Anya Marina showcasing her new album Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II I anticipated that the night would be uplifting, but I didn’t imagine being awestruck.

There was dancing, singing, toe-tapping and head-bopping by the people sharing in the night with Paolo Nutini and his band at the Rialto Theater on September 8, 2009. His band is a composition of musicians that were ready to take a risk in playing songs that may not have had the commercial appeal found on television or top 40 radio stations today. However, the universal themes, and the feel good beats will appeal to any person that appreciates music that is felt more than sung.

I think that Nutini broke down the idea that we can’t return to a time when music was a message and an emotional outlet. Apparently there was room for Nutini in the commercial market as his song “New Shoes” became the song associate with a shoe advertisement in the summer of 2008. Other songs have found their way into television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, and One Tree Hill.

His band lends the sounds of big band, ragtime, blues, soul, and everything in between. Accompanying Nutini and his guitar are Donny Little on guitar/vocals, Seamus Simon on drums, Michael McDaid on bass and keys, Dave Nelson on guitar, vocals, keys, and percussion, and Gavin Fitzjohn on saxophone, trumpet and keys. Each member contributed their own unique sound, but kept cohesion throughout each song.

Paolo Nutini shares a story with excruciating emotion to each song. But when you look at him up close there is a sense of humor. Nutini would throw in some jokes interjected between songs, but with his heavy Scottish accent, I wasn’t able to understand what he said. I’m just glad most of the show-goers knew what he was saying because they definitely seemed amused.

I left the theater raving that the show was amazing and that I had a new appreciation for the music that beforehand I was only able to hear in recordings. Thinking that I was listening to the scatting genius of Louis Armstrong, or the music compilations of old time jazz fused with soulfulness of Ray Charles and even the jump and jive of the Big Bopper I was transformed. Nutini performs hunched over grabbing the microphone, frankly looking and sounding like an older man with a soul full of pain, but with a beat that is so lifting and satisfying it must be a sin to enjoy. Link for photos

Life Out Here: Turning to music
By Bret Kofford
09 22 2009

"Paolo Nutini’s voice could make an atheist believe in God. It is an instrument that has to be a special gift from someone special.

Nutini may be the best male soul singer from the British Isles since Joe Cocker. He sounds like a melding of Bob Marley and Otis Redding. Unlike Cocker, though, Nutini writes songs … really, really fine songs.

The young Scotsman — yes, his name is Italian, but his family has been in Scotland for generations — is the son of a fish-and-chips shop owner. His gift for singing was discovered after he won a quiz during a delay in a concert he was attending and was invited onstage to sing. And the rest is … soul, beautiful soul.

Paolo Nutini has been making my driving time better in recent weeks. He sings about love, family, hope and about how much[he]worships his father, the fish-and-chips shop proprietor.

In his fabulous soul song “Coming Up Easy” Paolo sings: “It was in love I was created and in love is how I hope I die.”"

Link: http://www.ivpressonline.com/a...on/ed01-09-23-09.txt

Paolo Nutini's Sunny Side Up is wonderfully weird
By Mike Usinger
http://www.straight.com/articl...de-wonderfully-weird

Fittingly, considering the path he chose to take on his new album, Sunny Side Up , Paolo Nutini is all over the map when he calls the Georgia Straight from a Portland tour stop.

Five minutes into the interview, he's touched on everything from the brilliance of the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates to the pros and cons of small-town Scotland to his undying love of travelling. Even though he doesn't seem to realize it, the 22-year-old Scotsman is frequently hilarious.

“We had some time off in Tucson recently,” Nutini says, speaking with a soft lilt that makes him sound like a more mellow version of Groundskeeper Willie. “So we went into their city. They even have a drive-in theatre still, but unfortunately we didn't have any cars. So me and a couple of other guys in the band got a couple of beers and saw Easy Rider at a theatre. It was sweet, man. There were only a couple of other people there.

“I like that there are still independent art-house theatres here,” he continues, flitting to a new subtopic with no prodding. “They are cheaper and make for a better moviegoing experience. A lot of places think that bigger is better. It's like consumerism is taking everything over.”

That Nutini, quite charmingly, has some difficulty keeping on track won't surprise anyone who has heard Sunny Side Up , which is one of the most wonderfully strange records of the year.

Fantastically, the 12-track release has actually outraged many critics, who obviously expected Nutini to deliver a carbon copy of his million-selling 2006 debut, These Streets . Where that record cast the singer as a sensitive dude in the James Blunt mould, Sunny Side Up is a genre-jumping mind****.

The craziness starts right away with “10/10”, where—with help from rock-steady legend Rico Rodriguez—Nutini does sun-splashed Studio One '60s ska with an authenticity that's nothing less than eerie. The singer may be as white as Greenland snow, but he sounds like he grew up rolling spliffs in Jamaica with Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd.

“One of my favourite songs is ‘A Message to You Rudy', which was done by the Specials,” Nutini says. “He [Rodriguez] played on the old, original version. So for him to come and play on my song was just incredible.”

Nutini returns to Jamaica for the reggae-fied “High Hopes”, puts on a straw hat and candy-striped blazer for the straight-out-of-Dixieland '20s-jazzer “Pencil Full of Lead”, and proves himself a master of skiffle country with “Simple Things”. As an added bonus, most of the album—which also explores everything from burnished chamber pop to pub-friendly folk—finds Nutini singing in an improbably craggy voice that suggests he's spent six decades subsisting on aged Scotch and unfiltered Dunhills. It all adds up to a record that's crazy in the best possible way.

“From the sound of things, a lot of people have wondered what the hell I've done,” Nutini notes with a wry laugh. “I think the answer is that I wanted to have a bit of fun.”

Paolo Nutini plays the sold-out Commodore Ballroom on Friday (September 18).

 

PAOLO NUTINI coming up easy down under
http://hangout.altsounds.com/n...easy-down-under.html

September 17, 2009, 11:45 AM

The Frontier Touring Company is pleased to confirm the return of Scotland’s Paolo Nutini to Australia this October.

This will be Paolo’s first trip Down Under since 2007’s maiden voyage that saw him thrill those before him. Paolo will return to perform his largest headline shows to date in Melbourne and Sydney. Support at all shows will come from Whitley.

Paolo Nutini first introduced himself to the world at the tender age of 19, via the release of 2006’s These Streets. A scorching debut album, These Streets saw Paolo quickly establish himself as one of this decade’s most captivating talents.



Climbing the charts around the world, These Streets debuted in the ARIA top 20, sold in excess of two million albums worldwide, and spawned the inspiring singles ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’, ‘New Shoes’ and ‘Last Request’.

Paolo returns to Australia in support of Sunny Side Up (out now through Warner Music), the sophomore album from this exciting soulsmith.

The album debuted at #1 on the UK chart and has remained in the Top 5 since it’s release. Sunny Side Up sees Paolo Nutini come of age as he emerges a truly unique artist, continuing along the path of musical discovery These Streets first hinted at.

Tuesday 27 October Forum Theatre, Melbourne 18+
Ticketek 132 849 or Altsounds.com | Independent Music Journalism (Links go to Ticketek)

Friday 30 October Enmore Theatre, Sydney All Ages
Ticketek 132 849 or Altsounds.com | Independent Music Journalism (Link goes to Ticketek)

http://www.brmb.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1469211
Paolo Nutini Helps Out Ocean Colour Scene - EXCLUSIVE


BRMB can exclusively reveal that Paulo Nutini will appear on the new Ocean Colour Scene album.

The singer recorded vocals for a track called 'Saturday' while in the Brummie band's dressing room at the V Festival over the weekend.

Ocean Colour Scene told BRMB why they were keen to get Paolo involved:

"I like his voice", said singer Simon Fowler.

"I met him at a festival and he came and hang out with us and came onstage at a festival we did up in Scotland and he's a really nice guy.

"Horribly good looking."

Producer Gavin Monaghan, who has worked with the likes of Kings of Leon, Editors and The Twang, was backstage at the festival to record Nutini using only a laptop.

The new album, provisionally titled "Rockfield", is named after the legendary studio where it is being recorded, and is due out next year.

Before that Ocean Colour Scene will play an exclusive gig for BRMB at Selfridges on Thursday 10th September to celebrate the opening of the new O2 Academy Birmingham.

more things
http://blogs.myspace.com/index...339&blogId=507349458

Paolo Nutini Performs To South Florida Fans, Clears Up Album Cover Issue

Ayinde O. Chase - AHN Editor

Ft. Lauderdale, FL (AHN) - Scottish singer and song writer Paolo Nutini arrived in South Florida earlier this week for a concert at Fort Lauderdale's Culture Room. The 22-year-old singer earned world wide recognition for his 2006 album "These Streets" is now currently on a world wide tour in support of the recently released album "Sunny Side Up," which marks a decidedly different turn for the artist who many describe as a poet wise beyond his years.

The 22-year-old who hails from Paisley, Scotland sat down with AHN to discuss his latest album, 2009 tour, and the rising fame his talents have garnered and was surprisingly candid. During AHN's interview with the star on his tour bus hours before his concert throngs of fans had already arrived. They formed a long line outside of the venue to guarantee a great spot inside or according to some just to catch a glimpse of Nutini sans microphone.

The soft-spoken singer appeared relaxed and reflected the same genuine ease of spirit his lyrics and performances showcase. However, his thick Scottish accent was a surprise as the crooner's albums and singing style is more along the lines of soulful rock or folk music reminiscent of the great Southern American R&B greats with a folk twist.

His second album is the product of a talented, intelligent musician who has matured further by having a "globe-trotting" life experience and is living his dream. Upon reviewing "Sunny Side Up" a listener can detect a more positive vibe. The lighter tone can be described as reflective of the young man who in more ways than one "grew up" over the last few years on the road. Nutini says songwriting is the analysis of his life experiences; and his journey as of late has been one of continuing self discovery, fun, and leading the life he was destined to live. Although many of the songs are directly influenced by his family and love life. Nutini was quick to say that his girlfriend reminds him some things are "off limits." When pressed to say exactly what was off limits since his lyrics are so personal anyway, he says "What you'd expect," with a grin and chuckle.

Asked what his key to success is, the Scottish born but of Italian descent singer says, "Luck. There's always a feeling you get when things begin to work out and I've had a lot of luck." Some of the luck he's referring to is the chance performances that stunned audiences when he was a relative unknown like performing in Carnegie Hall and the fact that Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun took a liking to him early on and signed him after a chance encounter in New York. All not bad for a guy who didn't finish school and moved to London at the age of 16 to sing and be a roadie.

After signing with Atlantic shortly after his 18th birthday the singer began a career that saw him perform with the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and others. When asked what he learned from those great bands who've exhibited star power and have proven longevity, Nutini reveals, "Keep having fun..... these guys still do what they do and are natural with each other and play really well. But, what I try to remember is that you gotta keep having fun."

It was this same mantra that he and the band exhibited not only in their down time before the show but also when they were belting out their tunes to the standing room only and sweaty audience at the Culture Room. Nutini who says he has to read the the audience to gage his style, consistently by most accounts gives his audience a soulful sensual performance that not only thrills his fans but in many cases creates new ones. He says, "When you perform one night after the next you know you have to be on. Some nights you know you have to keep your eye on the ball."

A twenty something Omega Johnson who traveled for hours to see the show gushed following the last song, "He was awesome, just great." She like others afterwards were sharing pictures and experiences from their night. American fans like Johnson love his music however, his Scottish fans in attendance were the ones who showed the pride that only they could. He is their local boy who's done good. Scotland's colors and Celtic Football club Flags and scarves dotted the two story venue. It appeared Scottish Nutini fans were not simply showing their admiration for him but also presumably showing their support for the soccer team he's a staunch fan of too.

Nutini is a fierce supporter of his country's football club and took the opportunity during our interview to clear up the album cover issue that is a big deal in the competitive arena of international soccer. The cover art contains colors that could be interpreted as Celtic supporting. However, when asked if he was worried it will affect his support with Celtic rival Ranger fans, Nutini vehemently denies any speculation that reports of him doing it was intentional.

"It was a coincidence." He explains, "When my label asked what ideas did I have for artwork. I gave them this and that but the suggestions I gave were in homage to the retro vinyl records I listened to in my childhood." He continues, "What they came up with was great and it was only afterwards that I started hearing these stories and they aren't true."

What is true however is Nutini delivers a rousing performance and is the showman his videos and concert footage portrays. As a relative newcomer to his music his performance in South Florida reminded me of being in pub somewhere in Europe where I'd be drinking pints listening to someone who was influenced by Otis Redding and Bob Marley. I was completely transported from the land of strip malls, soccer moms and suburbia that I traveled to in order to see him perform and left filled with high hopes and a sunny disposition.

For more information about Paolo Nutini and upcoming tour dates please visit www.paolonutini.com.

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com...0Issue#ixzz0Q20YYt2X

http://www.spinner.com/2009/09...ut-hates-his-leopor/
Scottish pop soul singer Paolo Nutini follows his recent sold-out North American headlining tour with a second batch of dates that includes a stop at 'The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien,' Sept. 10, to perform his hit single, 'Candy.' While this tour, in support of his new album, 'Sunny Side Up,' has plenty of memories for Nutini, it was on a previous trek that he got to watch one of his heroes, Rod Stewart. With a similar soulful, gravelly voice Stewart was obviously influential on Nutini, but the younger singer says it's the fellow Scot's laddish attitude he admires most.

"Out of everybody that you look at and take a few lessons from, I don't think he was a bad man to do it from," Nutini tells Spinner. "Seems like he had a way that he wanted to go through life and he did it. That's something worth respecting. You can't argue with that."

Nutini also has a good laugh while discussing Stewart's '70s disco 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' period and some questionable fashion choices. "There were a few leopard skin moments that I hope I don't go to," he says, referring to a particularly dodgy pair of tight animal print pants Stewart once sported. "I hope I don't find whatever drug it was that persuaded him to go out and dress like that."

The younger singer then comes up with a possible reason for it. "Maybe it was okay, ya know. I've got Britt Ekland on my arm and I'm a good looking frontman of a wicked rock band," he riffs, referring to Stewart's former band, the Faces. "F--- it, I can do whatever I want."

Finding his stride

On his second CD, Paolo Nutini takes a chipper attitude

By Brian T. Atkinson
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, September 03, 2009

Two summers ago, Paolo Nutini's vibrant daydream about crisp kicks and better days jump-started his career stateside. The Paisley, Scotland, native, whose single 'New Shoes' saturated independent radio and backed an international Puma ad campaign, recently followed up with the diverse collection 'Sunny Side Up.' The sophomore effort is as bright as its title suggests. 'I've got a nice guitar and tires on my car,' Nutini sings on 'Pencil Full of Lead,' 'and nothing's gonna bring me down.'

The 22-year-old performs Friday at La Zona Rosa.

American-Statesman: There's definitely a psychedelic element to the new video for 'Coming Up Easy.' You're hanging out with a rabbit.

Paolo Nutini:Yeah, that was basically based around the Jimmy Stewart film called 'Harvey.' The rabbit in the video was named Harvey.

You seemed to be in a good place writing these songs.

Well, on the whole, I just feel more adjusted (laughs).

With so much touring behind (Nutini's debut album) 'These Streets,' when did you find the time to write?

I wrote the songs after I came off tour for that album and I got back into the swing of what's normal. I'd toured pretty consistently for ('These Streets'), a year and a half or a year and three-quarters.

'Pencil Full of Lead' certainly stands out as going in a new direction, especially with the ragtime influence.

Yeah, there's the trumpet and the horns. It's about rejoicing in the basics of life.

There's some of that idea in Bo Diddley's 'You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover,' which you've said is a song that changed your life.

Well, it's a great song. It's the lyrics, man: 'Oh, can't you see you misjudge me. I look like a farmer, but I'm a lover. You can't judge a book by looking at the cover.' I like that stuff.

As a young singer-songwriter, how important to your development was signing to Atlantic Records at 18 years old?

I don't know, man, but it does seem to have a lot of short-term benefits. And being on a major label as opposed to independent does tend to give you more long-term perspective. We'll see what happens, but I'm with Atlantic. Especially with the band, I can't imagine not being with the company.

How did you get involved with the (United Nations') Give Shelter, Save a Life project?

Ben Affleck and me spoke over the phone. We recorded the track ('Gimme Shelter') in London. Mick (Jagger) wanted my version to be more emotive to highlight the cause. I don't know exactly how I got thrown into the pot, but I was glad. It was a real honor to be asked.

Now that you've played Austin a couple times, what do you look forward when you come back?

Oh, the barbecue (laughs). And I got my tattoo in Austin.

Paolo Nutini performs at 8 p.m. Friday at La Zona Rosa, 612 W. Fourth St. $27.50. 866-443-884, gettix.net. He also plays at 5 p.m. Friday at Waterloo Records.

http://top40-charts.com/news/T...cond-Leg!/51422.html
Tour Dates (2009-09-02)
Paolo Nutini Returns; Sold-Out 'SUNNY SIDE UP' Tour Launches Second Leg!

New York (Top40 Charts/ Atlantic Records) - Atlantic recording artist Paolo Nutini recently sold out the first leg of his North American headline tour and kicked off the second batch of dates on August 31st, at the Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale. The tour will continue through a September 19th performance at the Showbox in Seattle (see itinerary below). The dates celebrate the recent release of the Scottish-born troubadour's acclaimed second album, "SUNNY SIDE UP." Joining Paolo on all dates is Chop Shop/Atlantic recording artist Anya Marina.

"SUNNY SIDE UP" - which includes the single, "Candy" - is proving an international success, having debuted at No 1 in the UK, where the album also earned instant gold certification and has since been certified platinum.
What's more, the album premiered at No 2 on the Irish chart, and in the top 20 in the Netherlands and Italy (where it was the week's highest new international entry).

Nutini and his crack band have just been booked to perform "Candy" live on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," set for Thursday, September 10th (check local listings). A companion video for "Candy" - filmed in Cuba under the direction of Nez (Lily Allen, Kano) - is currently in "Medium" rotation at VH1, where it has been a fixture on the network's Top 20 Countdown.

"SUNNY SIDE UP" has earned ecstatic praise from critics both here and abroad: "(Nutini) has made a leap of Olympic proportions," raved Jim Farber in the New York Daily News. "In both breadth of genres, and maturity of perspective, it sounds more like a fourth effort than a second... If Nutini can communicate all that ache and beauty at 22, imagine all that can come from him next." "Nutini's gravelly voice recalls... that of such singers as Otis Redding," noted Billboard, "and the soulful sounds of the American South pulse through his music." People saluted Nutini for "stretching out stylistically" while "(continuing) to show a flair for music from way before his time."

The British press has already waxed rhapsodic about "SUNNY SIDE UP," with the Independent awarding the album four-out-of-five stars, hailing it as "joyous, engaging... a revelation." "(Nutini's) joyous second album organically blends soul, country, folk and the brash, horny energy of ragtime swing," declared the Telegraph in its five-out-of-five starred review. "The result is an eccentric blast, like some obscure lost classic from the Seventies." "(Nutini) displays a confidence in his sound and a unique sense of self that sets him apart," raved OK!, while the Observer commended Paolo's "undeniable talent," calling "SUNNY SIDE UP" "a spirited rattling of his teenybopper chain."

Produced by Paolo Nutini and Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne), "SUNNY SIDE UP" sees Nutini continuing to mine his arresting brand of soulful modern pop. Songs such as "10/10" and "Coming Up Easy" display the gifted tunesmith's ever-growing knack for irrepressible melodies melded with insightful and intimate lyricism, all held together by Paolo's gritty and unpredictable vocal stylings.

Paolo Nutini's 2007 debut album, "THESE STREETS," proved an international phenomenon, earning the Paisley, Scotland-born troubadour a cornucopia of critical praise and worldwide sales in excess of two million. A uniquely talented live performer, Nutini toured nearly non-stop following the release of "THESE STREETS," headlining countless shows and appearing at some of the world's biggest festivals, including Live Earth, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Isle of Wight Festival 2007 - where Paolo dueted with Mick Jagger on "Love In Vain" during The Rolling Stones' festival-closing set. What's more, Nutini served as support act on one of the biggest concerts in recent memory - Led Zeppelin's now-legendary 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena, benefiting the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. He has since shared stages with a range of other musical icons, including a 2008 soul spectacular at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl which saw Paolo more than holding his own alongside Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Etta James and Solomon Burke.

PAOLO NUTINI
On Tour 2009
All Dates w/Special Guest, Anya Marina

AUGUST
31 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Culture Room

SEPTEMBER
1 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
3 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
4 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
5 Houston, TX Warehouse Live
6 Dallas, TX House of Blues
9 San Diego, CA House of Blues
11 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
12 Oakland, CA Fox Oakland Theater
14 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
15 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
16 Missoula, MT Wilma Theater
18 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
19 Seattle, WA Showbox

Paolo Nutini gets 'Sunny' on 2nd CD   By MARK DANIELL

Paolo Nutini found success with his very first CD — but it didn't paralyze him when it came to writing his sophomore album. TORONTO -- Paolo Nutini’s 2006 record, "These Streets," was one of the most buzzed-about debuts this decade. But even if his soulful tunes hadn't got tongues wagging straight out of the gate, his plan for winning over fans would have been the same. "When I was starting out, I said to my bandmates, 'Let's gig our asses off,'" the Scottish singer says. "So maybe commercially that album was successful," he adds, before taking the stage at the Opera House, "but that word-of-mouth thing is what you want as a musician." He spliced breezy bits of Strokes-y rock between raspy Cat Stevens-like snippets of heartbreak and quickly turned himself into a must-see live act, appearing at numerous festivals and landing a coveted opening spot at Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena. "People were coming to shows and meeting me after saying, 'I came with my girlfriend,' or 'I only came because I got given a ticket.' But in both cases they said, 'I'll be back.' "Listening to the live shows was making a better impact than the album was." But after two years on the road, the 22-year-old found that his musical ambitions had outgrown his live incarnation. "I felt like I'd been bathing in music for the last seven, eight years,” he says, slipping Rodriguez' little-known "Coming From Reality" into his CD player. "And now I had some ideas I wanted to expand on with the boys." Improvisation in the studio led to the jazzy, blues-rock hybrid that makes up most of Nutini's recently-released second disc, "Sunny Side Up." "I've seen a lot of references in magazines that infer this record is an obvious show that I'm trying to separate myself from other artists that I've been lumped with, or that this is an attempt for me to try and be taken seriously," he says. "As much as that is in the back of my mind, it was a very relaxed thing making this record." Emboldened by his "varied" fan base, Nutuni flirts equally with graveled balladry ("Candy," "Tricks of the Trade," "Coming Up Easy") and bouncy bits of ska and ragtime ("10/10," "Pencil Full of Lead") on the new disc. Nutini knows even if his extra-curricular antics aren't Amy Winehouse headline-worthy, critics have been eager to characterize him as just another blue-eyed soul singer. "It's a weird place to be," he admits. "There are times when you feel like you've achieved something and you feel good, but it can go two ways," he says, slapping a fist into his palm to illustrate some of the critical barbs that have been lobbed his way. "But I remember how [Bob] Dylan said, 'If there were no songs written tomorrow, there's more than you could even imagine out there ready to push all your buttons in different ways.'" Sliding up to his CD player, Nutini turns Rodriguez up and points out the ways in which his songs play like a distant relative to Carole King's "Tapestry." "See," he says, mock strumming, singing bits of "I Think of You," "there are only so many cards and so many ways to put them together." Paolo Nutini performs at Day One of Toronto's Virgin Festival on Saturday, August 29. On the Net: www.paolonutini.com http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/Nutini_Paolo/2009/08/25/10603876-ca.html

From The Paisley Daily Express:

Are Paolo, David or Gerard sexy enough for Hottest Scotsman crown?


THREE celebrity Buddies are flying the flag for Paisley in the race to be crowned the sexiest Scot on the planet.

Hunky actor Gerard Butler, Doctor Who star David Tennant and chart-topping singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini have all been nominated for the title of Hottest Scotsman in a competition being run as part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations.

And Paisley Daily Express readers are being encouraged to cast their votes for the man they think is the ultimate ‘Buddie beautiful.’

Votes have already been flooding in for movie star Gerard, who has starred in hit films such as 300 and PS: I Love You. Among those who are backing him to lift the title is Valerie Buttery, who is a member of the actor’s Facebook fan page.

Valerie said: “This man is sexier than Brad Pitt and a great actor too. Gerard should definitely win sexiest Scot!”

However, former Paisley Grammar School pupil David is not without his fans either, while heart-throb Paolo is also proving to be a smash hit in the Hottest Scotsman competition.

Both David and Gerard were brought up in that hotbed of Paisley acting talent that is Ralston, which was also home to fellow actor Tom Conti, who starred in a string of hit TV programmes and films, including Shirley Valentine.

And Paolo has risen to the top of the pop music tree in recent years, thanks to his distinctive voice and songwriting skills.

Scots all over the world are being urged to go online to vote for the famous man they think is most hot to trot.

Also nominated for the Hottest Scotsman crown is Glaswegian actor James McAvoy, who learned his trade with Paisley Youth Theatre.

James has won an army of fans across the world by starring in blockbusters such as The Last King of Scotland and Atonement.

And joining him on the list is celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who was born in Johnstone.

With a line-up like that, the odds are that someone with a Renfrewshire connection will scoop the title of Hottest Scotsman.

All they have to do is beat the rest of the celebrities who have been nominated for the title – actors Sir Sean Connery and Dougray Scott, tennis player Andy Murray and cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy.

The Hottest Scotsman competition is just one of a series of events being staged to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of world famous poet Robert Burns.

To vote for the celebrity you think is Scotland’s sexiest, visit the website at www.homecomingscotland2009.com/hotscots.html

MUSIC NEWS

The return of Paolo Nutini

August 7, 2009   By Billy Suter He's 20, a Scottish singer-songwriter with a fascinating, gruff voice - a guy from Paisley who was expected to follow in his dad's footsteps and work in the family fish and chip shop. Instead, after having first been encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather, Jackie, and a teacher at his school, Paolo Nutini worked as a roadie and a studio hand. Then, three years ago, after having impressed with various London pub and radio appearances, and support slots for Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall, he wowed with his debut album, These Streets. It was produced by Ken Nelson, who has also worked with Coldplay and Gomez, and contains the hit single, Last Request. Now Nutini has released his second studio album, Sunny Side Up, containing the singles Candy and Coming Up Easy. It offers more of the soulful, semi-acoustic fare that characterised his first album, but is of note for more variety, and some surprises. It has him "rebranding himself as a mongrel hybrid of John Martyn, Otis Redding and Bob Marley", to quote one UK reviewer, while others have pointed out that the collection, produced by Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon), features an eclectic and "rougher" range of songs that sets it apart from its more slick predecessor. Having recorded in Ireland, Wales, New York, LA and the UK, Nutini - backed by his band The Vipers - wraps his voice around soul, folk, reggae and rock, with varying results. Better bets are probably the Bob Dylan-like Tricks of the Trade , The Motown-flecked Coming Up Easy and the sea-shanty Growing Up Beside You. And although many have slammed the reggae-lite elements of the album, I also rather enjoy the track Pencil Full of Lead. Groban fans will be delighted as he is in fine voice throughout - and, for some, his performance here of the rousing Anthem is alone worth the price of the album. Check it out. http://tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5116278&fSectionId=431&fSetId=251

 

July 27, 2009

Catching Up with Paolo Nutini

Soulful Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini’s 2006 debut, These Streets, sold more than 2 million copies and earned him a gig opening for the Rolling Stones (he was just 19 at the time). We chatted with the comely crooner, now on tour in support if his optimistically titled sophomore effort, Sunny Side Up, following his sold-out show at NYC’s Terminal 5. —Erin Clements

How would you describe your music?

Urban folk.

Is Sunny Side Up a big departure from These Streets?

I think the production is the main difference. It’s been given a lot more TLC than the first one.

How was the recording experience different with this one?

I had nothing else going on. This was all I had to do: make a record. There were fewer people wanting to hear songs and trying to manipulate them, and a lot less record-company involvement, which was good.

 Where did you record the album?

We recorded the first half in a place in Ireland called Grouse Lodge. We then recorded in Rockfield in Wales and we tied the rest up in a place in Bath called Real World Studios.

You opened for the Rolling Stones at the Isle of Wright Festival in 2007. How was that?

It was an honor—very humbling. But you know, I don’t ask too many questions, I just sang a song. We did a version of the song “Love in Vain.”

What was Mick like?

When I met him, I think he was on good behavior.

What other musicians would you like to collaborate with?

Bill Withers.

What’s your favorite city to tour in?

I like Colorado—Boulder and Vail. There’s a good vibe. There’s a steady supply of Miller High Life, and you can sit in the Jacuzzi while it’s snowing. That’s what it’s all about.

What’s the worst advice you’ve gotten?

There was a song we sang, “The Rich Folks.” It’s a pretty condescending song about really wealthy people. We got on set and someone asked if we were doing it, and I was like, “Yeah,” not realizing that we were doing the performance in the Hamptons.

Any ideas for the direction you want your next album to take?

It’ll probably be the best record yet—I can sense it. A lot of collaborations, guest spots. Timbaland is going to produce it. Fergie will do background vocals. It’s going to be genius. I’m going to take over the world.

http://fashion.elle.com/blog/2009/07/catching-up-with-paolo-nutini.html

 

'I'm Nuts about gin and cider'

By NADINA MENDOZA

Published: 27 Jun 2009

SCOTTISH singer/songwriter PAOLO NUTINI loves a stiff gin - and reckons cider is the perfect mixer.

The Paisley lad said: "It's only customary to swig cider at Glastonbury.

"The best way to have it is pouring some gin in.

"Or you can take something else... but I'm not supposed to say that."

He also revealed the famous faces he's spotted in the crowd at his gigs.

Paolo said: "ZACH BRAFF, ROD STEWART and P DIDDY have all been to my shows.

"But did I speak to Diddy? No... what could I possibly say to him?"

The folk rocker paid tribute to MICHAEL JACKSON, saying: "It's so sad. I've been thinking about doing a cover.

"There are so many to choose from but I think Ben is my favourite. It's very touching."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/2504789/Paolo-Nutini-reveals-gin-and-cider-is-his-favourite-Glastonbury-drink.html

I drive guys Nutti

Paolo on trying to win fellas around

By John Earls, 26/07/2009

Paolo Nutini - My London

Paolo Nutini - My London
Sylvia Mulder, ES Magazine
24.07.09

Home is...
Paisley in Scotland. I lived in London for a few years, mainly in Limehouse.

Where do you stay in London?
I usually stay with friends in Greenwich. I like to be out of the busy part of London and just chill.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I went to St Lucia and it was beautiful. I ended up being a witness at somebody's wedding. I didn't know the people but we became friendly, and I thought it was a beautiful thing to be at their wedding. I lost their phone number, though, so if they read this, please get in touch with me.

What was the last gig you saw?
I went to see Sixto Rodriguez at the Barbican. It was great; his songs and his vocals are amazing.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Don't go to Harrods. You'll end up spending too much money. Check out the markets: Camden, Portobello and Sunday UpMarket at The Old Truman Brewery in Spitalfields.

Which London street do you like to shop on?
Denmark Street because it has some great music shops. I visit Vintage & Rare Guitars to get supplies for my guitar.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I once had a meal at the Rockwell Restaurant in The Trafalgar hotel which was amazing. And Elements in Greenwich has lovely freshly made food.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
I'd make sure that for that one day we would all be really happy, by getting everybody high and drunk. It would be a marijuana love fest.

What's your earliest London memory?
When I first came to London I bought a silver MacBook Pro. I was checking it out, while I was waiting for the DLR in Limehouse, when this guy tried to grab it off my lap. I held on to it, but there was a struggle for about five minutes, which ended with him running away and my laptop flying on to the tracks. I had to climb on to the tracks to get it back.

What would be on your tombstone?
Stop dear children and cast an eye, as you are now so once was I/As I am now, so you must be, therefore prepare to follow me/Prepare for death, make no delay, I and my bloom were snatched away/When destiny called, I left my friend with pain in my heart. I read it once in a book and I think it's pretty cool.

What are you most afraid of?
Not getting to say goodbye to somebody. I travel on aeroplanes a lot and that provides me with fear, because if something happened I wouldn't be able to call anyone. I often think, 'Maybe I should call somebody before it's too late.'

What are your guilty pleasures?
Nineties dance hits like 'I like to move it' by Real2Real, or 'Boom Boom Boom' from The Outhere Brothers. I'm also a sucker for Disney songs. 'When you wish upon a star' from Pinocchio always makes me cry, and 'One Jump Ahead' from Aladdin. When I was little I wanted to be Aladdin and have a monkey like Apu that I'd dress in identical clothes. Actually, I still want that.

What animal would you most like to be?
A cheeky little monkey, because they seem so free and they're not really right in the head. They just have fun and they have this 'whatever' attitude that I like.

What was the last album you bought?
Massive Attack's first album, Blue Lines.

What would you save from a fire?
A baby. Oh, you mean in my own house? No babies involved? Then it would probably be the framed photo on my mantelpiece of me, my dad and my grandad at my first communion. I could replace everything else, but I lost the negative of that photo.

What are you up to at the moment?
My album was released in June and it's doing really well. I'm touring and playing festivals at the moment and I'm feeling really creative, so I'm working on some new ideas with my band as well.

Who'syourhero?
Jean-Claude Van Damme. Every day I have a crack at the 'split and punch' he does in Bloodsport. I put on a black tank top and have a little Jean-Claude Van Damme moment. It centres me.

Have you ever stolen anything?
When I was a kid I stole one of those make-it-yourself toy aeroplanes. Actually, I stole quite a lot of them.

Paolo Nutini's new single 'Coming Up Easy' is out on 10 August 2009. His album Sunny Side Up is out now.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/...My+London/article.do

 

Paolo Nutini Praises Shoes At New York Show

Posted 7/22/09 11:47 am ET by MTV News in Concerts , Music

By Ben Hockin

It's hard to describe Paolo Nutini. He's from Scotland but his name has Italian and Spanish roots, and he's ostensibly a singer-songwriter who oscillates between dour heartbreak folk and jittery soul. But he (and his eight man band the Vipers) clearly knows how to have fun, which was on display during his loose, freewheeling performance last night at New York City's Terminal 5.

Right from the opener "New Shoes," Nutini proved that no matter what the vibe of the song, his youthful energy would not be denied. It was contagious, as the crowd hung with him throughout the set, as did his gray-haired harmonica player.

"Everyone loves shoes," Nutini said following his opener. "They are vehicles for your feet." It was the first of the singer's many laugh lines in between songs.

The band mined their wide range of influences, from bluegrass ("Funky Cigarette") to the lighter-waving arena blast "Last Request," which had everyone in the audience swaying and longing to be with that special someone (including me).

To wrap up the night, Paolo and the band came out for a few encores and ended the show with a balls-out performance of the stomping "Jenny Don't Be Hasty." Nutini then bounded off the stage, knowing full well that he had conquered another crowd.

Tags Paolo Nutini

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/07/22/paolo-nutini/

Posted on Fri, Jul. 24, 2009

Music critics' picks

While almost overwhelming to American ears when he talks, the Scottish burr rumbling in Paolo Nutini's voice is subtle and effective when he sings. It's the icing on a soulful concoction at once evocative of a young Rod Stewart or Joe Cocker, yet instantly identifiable as his own. And a sound that gives listeners quivers and shivers, as this 22-year-old cutie-pie pleads "Jenny Don't Be Hasty," makes a "Last Request" or delights in the attitude-changing effect of "New Shoes." In the United Kingdom, he's become the stuff of legends ("Son of fish-and-chips seller breaks out big!"), with his second studio album, "Sunny Side Up," recently topping the charts. Here, Nutini's still a bit of a comer - earning exposure on soundtracks, yet still accessible on the mid-size club circuit. Maybe not for long. Erin McCarley and Matt Hires open.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20090724_Music_critics__picks.html

Updated 17:21, July the 23rd, 2009

Nutini, looking quite, well, as he said, chuffed.

Walking on the ‘Sunny Side’ with Paolo Nutini

PROFILE. Paolo Nutini just got off stage at London’s fabled Roundhouse. It’s after midnight where he is, and around 7:30 p.m. where we are. He’s tired but, surrounded by friends and revelers backstage at the historic club, he can’t help but be exhilarated.

“Very nice, man,” he says approvingly of the gig. “It’s [where] the Doors did the famous long encore. I think it still registers as the longest encore in Britain ever. Yeah, man, it’s got a bit of prestige to it, ya know?” he says of the venue where Jim Morrison and co. played their lengthy and only UK show in 1968.

The Roundhouse, a former Victorian railway building and then a gin mill that became notorious for hippie love-ins and punk rock experiments, is rife with British rock mythology. But Nutini, an unlikely named Scottish singer, is making his own history. At the beginning of June, Nutini’s second album, “Sunny Side Up,” debuted at No. 1 on the UK album charts, bringing him to the fore of the British neo soul pack.

“That was a bit of a kick up the arse,” he says, but proudly. “I thought it would get a good place, but I didn’t think it would go in like that. It’s cool, man. … If I had a to-do list, that would be crossed off … A lot of people get a lot of number ones, man, but this is my first one. I’m really chuffed to get it, man.”

‘Man’ is an appellation Nutini uses a lot.   

The 22-year-old Nutini’s gritty blue-eyed soul voice easily recalls Rod Stewart’s cracked tones and has also been compared to that of soul great Otis Redding’s. He is entertainingly chatty onstage as he is off. Performing, though, is where he feels both challenged and empowered. He’s already learned that the selling records part lies in the hands of the label and other music biz elements. Onstage, though, is where he takes and makes his own chances.

“There’s no barrier. There’s no veil on the live show. There’s a small element of mystery, but not much. Playing in front of people, it’s laid bare,” he says with a low purr of satisfaction. “I like it, man.”

Paolo Nutini
With Erin McCarley, Matt Hires

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/07/23/19/1452-77/index.xml

 

Paolo Nutini set to storm the States after New York gig - see the pics

By Jody Thompson, Mirror.co.uk 22/07/2009

Paolo Nutini could have the States singing along to his new album Sunny Side up after a storming gig in New York last night.

It was the first of a string of US gigs for the Scottish singing star - and he totally sold out the city's Terminal Five venue.

   

Tomorrow night, the Jenny Don't Be Hasty Star plays Washington with dates to follow in the likes of Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, with his last US show in Seattle on September 19.

However, he pops back to the UK to play V Festival on August 23 and a full British tour then kicks off in Blackpool on September 27.

Could Paolo be the first soulful-voiced son of a chip shop owner to crack the States?

His previous album, debut These Streets, sold 124,000 there - and his latest release which hit Number One over here could prove to be an even sunnier proposition on the other side of the ponf...   

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/07/22/paolo-nutini-set-to-storm-the-states-after-new-york-gig-see-the-pics-115875-21540065/

(To say someone 'played a blinder' means they put on a superlative performance; they were on top of their game; they were outstanding. )

 

 

Paolo lets his music talk in
New York

Published: 23 Jul 2009

BRITAIN has already fallen under the spell of the gravel-voiced 22-year-old whose parents still run the family chip shop in Paisley.

Now it's time for America to be slayed by PAOLO NUTINI's charms.

And with a music biz titan like LIZ ROSENBERG, the woman who's steered MADONNA's career, curiously watching on from the VIP balcony, the omens are looking good.

It didn't hurt that he played a blinder too.

The Scotsman's tender youth is often referred to. But with good reason.

That a voice with such soulfull depths and rich mahogany tones should come from someone barely out of short trousers still surprises.

And it's a decidedly grown-up sound that the Scot and his six-piece band brew.

Old-fashioned rock with bits of blues and ska thrown in for good measure.

But it works brilliantly. Recent single Candy is as stirring as ever while 10/10 and Pencil Full Of Lead get the packed hall pogoing.

A solo acoustic rendition of These Streets highlights the youngster's incredible pipes.

While Mexico and Funky Cigarette become heady, joyful, soul-rock stomps.

There's not a great deal of interaction from Paolo, who has a mile-wide grin splashed across his face for most of the show.

He's just happy to let the music do the talking. And it spoke volumes.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/2549360/Paolo-Nutini-plays-a-corker-for-New-Yorkers.html

'Sunny Side Up'

By: NAILA FRANCIS

The Intelligencer

Paolo Nutini is feeling a little rambunctious.

Having recently launched a full-scale North American tour after doing a string of dates in April to support his new release, "Sunny Side Up," the Scottish singer-songwriter is going through the requisite rounds of interviews to promote the disc.

But there's only so much he can take of the staid inquiries before a restless levity creeps in.

And so when he admits that the album's lead single, "Candy," an earnest folk-pop ballad of apology to a wronged lover, was inspired by rapper 50 Cent's hit "Candy Shop," he follows that with the equally facetious confession to a secret yearning to collaborate with Nate Dogg.

"Everybody should know the words to 'Regulate,' " says Nutini of the 1994 hit that the hip-hop artist produced with rapper Warren G. "You don't know where you're going to get your inspiration from. Usually, it's more kind of classic artists - Bill Withers, Otis Redding, Harry Nilsson - but sometimes what you need is a bit of 50 Cent or Nate Dogg."

Throw in his deliberate tangents about his passion for the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) - "I was a massive fan. Nobody could persuade me it wasn't real," he says, adding that the matches were the subject of many a writing assignment during his school days - and it's easy to appreciate the quirky musical sensibility that pervades his Atlantic Records sophomore release.

A whimsical, feel-good foray into yesteryear, "Sunny Side Up," released on June 2, finds the 22-year-old Nutini making his way through a dizzying exhibition of styles. From the vintage reggae melding of ska and rocksteady that is album opener "10/10" to the horn-chugging Stax-like soul of "Coming Up Easy" and the ragtime swing of "Pencil Full of Lead," the album brazenly leaves behind some of the polish that had his debut collection of soulful pop, 2007's "These Streets," drawing perhaps unfair comparisons to the crop of sensitive English singer-songwriters like the Jameses Blunt and Morrison.

But even with that album and the breeziness of hits such as "New Shoes" and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty," there were signs of things to come: the raw rasp of a voice that belied his age, his comfort swinging from folk to rock to R&B.

"This is not a massive departure," says Nutini, of his latest outing. "It's not like I've started using the change in my pocket to pick my guitar or gone completely Tom Waits and gotten a Conundrum (the percussion rack Waits had commissioned). It's a bit more dynamic than the first, but it was recorded in a completely different way and was all live for the most part."

Nutini also co-produced the album with Ethan Johns, the producer behind artists such as Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne - "I love the way he makes a record sound like a record and gives it cohesion and atmosphere," he says - though he reluctantly stepped into the role initially when no one else seemed willing to do it.

Given how quickly "These Streets" was recorded and his own admitted naivete during that process, he wanted to take a more focused approach with "Sunny Side Up" and so spent two months in experimental sessions with his band before holing up for another lengthy exploratory period in the recording studio.

As the eclectic musical olio began to take shape, veering from classic soul and country to old-fashioned rock 'n' roll and traditional folk balladry, Nutini, whose Scottish brogue and deep, scratchy vocals seem even more pronounced on the disc, had only one guiding principle.

"If we weren't having fun, it wasn't right," he says. "All I wanted to do was display a sense of positivity and comfort in your own skin. And I'm really lucky - it seemed that things would just come. It's different music that I loved that gives definite feelings and provokes definite reactions. I suppose it's like a little reel of what turns me on."

He acknowledges that his carefree genre-hopping had some at the label scratching their heads, until Johns stepped up to co-produce and convinced the naysayers that the songs were ready to go.

But Nutini, who performs Saturday at the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, has never been one to compromise his idiosyncratic ways. He developed a love of singing from his Italian grandfather who frequently played the piano and sang, his love of soul music from his parents' record collection.

"Ben E. King - I remember listening to him when I was a wee boy and singing along," he says. "When we would go driving + The Drifters would be on the radio, and I remember singing 'When My Little Girl Is Smiling.' I'd be, like, the extra Drifter, which everybody in the car just loved."

His passion for singing led him to become the only male in his high school choir and also eventually sparked the realization that he was not cut out to take over his dad's fish-and-chips shop in Paisley, which had been in the family since the Nutini clan emigrated from Tuscany to Scotland around World War I.

Early affirmation of his eventual songwriting skills came at age 12, when a poem he wrote about his favorite football team beating its archrival appeared in the football club magazine The Celtic View. Soon, Nutini would be adding choruses and chords to his poems, and by 18, he had moved to London and landed his record deal with Atlantic.

But even with all his success, including sharing the stage with icons like King, Etta James and the Rolling Stones, he retains an unaffected appreciation for his roots, which is perhaps best expressed in the fusty country-folk ramble "Simple Things," an ode to his father and the easy joy he finds with family and the satisfaction of a job well done.

"I wrote that song to remind him that all those things that he instilled, they haven't changed a lot. He's still the coolest guy I know," says Nutini. "I don't get to see him all the time so I just wanted to reassure him that I haven't become somebody else. Inevitably, I'm going to change but hopefully for the better."

Paolo Nutini appears Saturday at the Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South St., Philadelphia, with Matt Hires and Erin McCarley. Show time is 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($23 day of show). Information: 215-922-1011; http://www.livenation.com/.

July 21, 2009 09:37 AM

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/177/2009/july/21/sunny-side-up-2.html

 

 

From: THE INDEPENDENT

My Secret Life: Paolo Nutini, singer-songwriter, 22


The home I grew up in ... I remember when we made the step from flat to house and I got my own room. It was a nice big house across the road from a lake and up the street from a country park


When I was a child I wanted to be ... Zorro

My greatest inspiration was ... my grandfather, who instilled a love of music in me. In the morning he'd listen to Scottish folk and in the afternoon it'd be opera. When someone senior from the local church came around, he'd play 'Boogie Woogie Piano Man'

The moment that changed me for ever ... happens all the time. I'm affected by the little things people say. Someone will say something and I'll think, 'Geez, that's right!' and then someone says something else a minute later and it changes my mind

I ride ... an amazing Puma bike which folds up. It glows in the dark

If I could change one thing about myself ... I'd like to be taller. I'm 5ft 10ins but I'd like to be 6ft 6ins. I'd like people to look at me and say: '**** he's tall!' And I'd reply: 'Yes I am!'

At night I dream of ... I dreamt I was a kid again and went to the park with some friends, where we met a cartoon character called Christopher the Bear. He warned me that a great war had been coming between all my favourite comic characters and suddenly, all around us, an epic battle broke out

What I see when I look in the mirror ... somebody who could be doing more good

My style icon ... Neil Young

A book that changed me ... I read 'Lord of the Flies' and found parallels with me and my class mates. There are always those who are: every man for themselves. That book got me reading a lot more

The last album I bought ... was 'Blue Lines' by Massive Attack. I found a copy for £4

The person who really makes me laugh ... is the comedian Bill Bailey

It's not fashionable but I like ... brogues. They may be fashionable in east London, but they are not where I'm from

My favourite work of art ... I like looking at Salvador Dali pieces and uncovering hidden layers of composition

My favourite item of clothing ... is my Men at Work tour T-shirt, which is dynamite. It has shrunk a bit now and has become a belly top

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at ... fencing

You may not know it but I'm no good at ... talking about myself

All my money goes on ... good question: where the hell does it all go?

If I have time to myself ... I'll have a read or play Football Manager on the computer

My house ... was built in the 1900s, with high ceilings and open fireplaces. It's near where I grew up in Paisley, and although it's a house to me, I do have someone above me, and another below, so really it's a spacious flat

My most valuable possession is ... a photograph in my house of my grandfather and my father at my first holy communion

My favourite building ... is Fallingwater, the house built by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright over a waterfall in Pennsylvania

Movie heaven ... would be one that comes at you from all angles, one minute it would have you frightened, then sweating and laughing

The best invention ever ... is the tea bag

In 10 years' time, I hope to be ... on a vineyard in Tuscany, tending my vines, drinking wine. Maybe at some point laying naked in a bath of wine?

My greatest regret ... is not paying more attention in school. I wanted to be the naughty one more than I ever was and really looked up to the class clown for a while

My life in six words ... fast, slow, in equal measures. Funky

 

Paolo Nutini

New Music Tuesday Review: Paolo Nutini bring raw soul on 'Sunny Side Up'

Tuesday, June 9th 2009, 3:19 PM

There's a scratch in Paolo Nutini 's voice millions would kill for.

The raw throatiness of it all brings to mind the great sandpaper voices of vintage soul, from Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding to their British imitators, Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker .

Given the texture and force of that voice, it's small wonder Nutini chose to fashion much of his debut CD, 2006's "These Times," as a retro-soul salute. Not that the album succumbed to mimicry.

The singer - then barely a 19 pup out of Scotland - gave his music distinction through the thrilling youth of his delivery, as well as the friskiness of his lyrics.

The latter came through especially well in the single "Jenny Don't Be Hasty," an ode to an older woman that threatened to become the " Maggie Mae " of this generation.

Now, for Nutini's follow-up he has made a leap of Olympic proportions.

"Sunny Side Up" represents such an advance - in both breadth of genres, and maturity of perspective - it sounds more like a fourth effort than a second.

Nutini didn't entirely jettison references to ‘60s soul in his compositions. With his vocal style he never entirely could. But the singer announces his intention to shake things up from the very first track, "10/10," a piece which draws jauntily on the flicking rhythms of vintage ska.

From there, Nutini alludes to big band jazz ("Pencil Full of Lead"), vintage folk (a reworked version of the rustic standard "Worried Man"), and even a ‘30s-style croon-a-thon Bing Crosby would have appreciated ("Keep Rolling").

The result could have seemed show-offey, or diffuse. But the distinction of Nutini's voice makes it all cohere. Just the resonance of that voice would be enough to captivate, but it's even more stirring to recognize Nutini's ambition to renovate his point of view.

That becomes most clear in the album's greatest heart-tugger, "Tricks of the Trade" whose melody has a pained beauty that mirrors the lyrics' particular blend of acceptance and regret.

Much like Buddy Holly 's "Learning The Game," the song addresses getting your hands around love's changes and limitations.

If Nutini can communicate all that ache and beauty at 22, imagine all that can come from him next.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2009/06/09/2009-06-09_new_music_tuesday_review.html#ixzz0LVn4yGNC
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2009/06/09/2009-06-09_new_music_tuesday_review.html

 

  

 

Paolo Nutini gets 'Sunny' on 2nd CD   By MARK DANIELL

Paolo Nutini found success with his very first CD — but it didn't paralyze him when it came to writing his sophomore album. TORONTO -- Paolo Nutini’s 2006 record, "These Streets," was one of the most buzzed-about debuts this decade. But even if his soulful tunes hadn't got tongues wagging straight out of the gate, his plan for winning over fans would have been the same. "When I was starting out, I said to my bandmates, 'Let's gig our asses off,'" the Scottish singer says. "So maybe commercially that album was successful," he adds, before taking the stage at the Opera House, "but that word-of-mouth thing is what you want as a musician." He spliced breezy bits of Strokes-y rock between raspy Cat Stevens-like snippets of heartbreak and quickly turned himself into a must-see live act, appearing at numerous festivals and landing a coveted opening spot at Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena. "People were coming to shows and meeting me after saying, 'I came with my girlfriend,' or 'I only came because I got given a ticket.' But in both cases they said, 'I'll be back.' "Listening to the live shows was making a better impact than the album was." But after two years on the road, the 22-year-old found that his musical ambitions had outgrown his live incarnation. "I felt like I'd been bathing in music for the last seven, eight years,” he says, slipping Rodriguez' little-known "Coming From Reality" into his CD player. "And now I had some ideas I wanted to expand on with the boys." Improvisation in the studio led to the jazzy, blues-rock hybrid that makes up most of Nutini's recently-released second disc, "Sunny Side Up." "I've seen a lot of references in magazines that infer this record is an obvious show that I'm trying to separate myself from other artists that I've been lumped with, or that this is an attempt for me to try and be taken seriously," he says. "As much as that is in the back of my mind, it was a very relaxed thing making this record." Emboldened by his "varied" fan base, Nutuni flirts equally with graveled balladry ("Candy," "Tricks of the Trade," "Coming Up Easy") and bouncy bits of ska and ragtime ("10/10," "Pencil Full of Lead") on the new disc. Nutini knows even if his extra-curricular antics aren't Amy Winehouse headline-worthy, critics have been eager to characterize him as just another blue-eyed soul singer. "It's a weird place to be," he admits. "There are times when you feel like you've achieved something and you feel good, but it can go two ways," he says, slapping a fist into his palm to illustrate some of the critical barbs that have been lobbed his way. "But I remember how [Bob] Dylan said, 'If there were no songs written tomorrow, there's more than you could even imagine out there ready to push all your buttons in different ways.'" Sliding up to his CD player, Nutini turns Rodriguez up and points out the ways in which his songs play like a distant relative to Carole King's "Tapestry." "See," he says, mock strumming, singing bits of "I Think of You," "there are only so many cards and so many ways to put them together." Paolo Nutini performs at Day One of Toronto's Virgin Festival on Saturday, August 29. On the Net: www.paolonutini.com http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/Nutini_Paolo/2009/08/25/10603876-ca.html

From The Paisley Daily Express:

Are Paolo, David or Gerard sexy enough for Hottest Scotsman crown?


THREE celebrity Buddies are flying the flag for Paisley in the race to be crowned the sexiest Scot on the planet.

Hunky actor Gerard Butler, Doctor Who star David Tennant and chart-topping singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini have all been nominated for the title of Hottest Scotsman in a competition being run as part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations.

And Paisley Daily Express readers are being encouraged to cast their votes for the man they think is the ultimate ‘Buddie beautiful.’

Votes have already been flooding in for movie star Gerard, who has starred in hit films such as 300 and PS: I Love You. Among those who are backing him to lift the title is Valerie Buttery, who is a member of the actor’s Facebook fan page.

Valerie said: “This man is sexier than Brad Pitt and a great actor too. Gerard should definitely win sexiest Scot!”

However, former Paisley Grammar School pupil David is not without his fans either, while heart-throb Paolo is also proving to be a smash hit in the Hottest Scotsman competition.

Both David and Gerard were brought up in that hotbed of Paisley acting talent that is Ralston, which was also home to fellow actor Tom Conti, who starred in a string of hit TV programmes and films, including Shirley Valentine.

And Paolo has risen to the top of the pop music tree in recent years, thanks to his distinctive voice and songwriting skills.

Scots all over the world are being urged to go online to vote for the famous man they think is most hot to trot.

Also nominated for the Hottest Scotsman crown is Glaswegian actor James McAvoy, who learned his trade with Paisley Youth Theatre.

James has won an army of fans across the world by starring in blockbusters such as The Last King of Scotland and Atonement.

And joining him on the list is celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who was born in Johnstone.

With a line-up like that, the odds are that someone with a Renfrewshire connection will scoop the title of Hottest Scotsman.

All they have to do is beat the rest of the celebrities who have been nominated for the title – actors Sir Sean Connery and Dougray Scott, tennis player Andy Murray and cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy.

The Hottest Scotsman competition is just one of a series of events being staged to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of world famous poet Robert Burns.

To vote for the celebrity you think is Scotland’s sexiest, visit the website atwww.homecomingscotland2009.com/hotscots.html

MUSIC NEWS

The return of Paolo Nutini

August 7, 2009   By Billy Suter He's 20, a Scottish singer-songwriter with a fascinating, gruff voice - a guy from Paisley who was expected to follow in his dad's footsteps and work in the family fish and chip shop. Instead, after having first been encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather, Jackie, and a teacher at his school, Paolo Nutini worked as a roadie and a studio hand. Then, three years ago, after having impressed with various London pub and radio appearances, and support slots for Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall, he wowed with his debut album, These Streets. It was produced by Ken Nelson, who has also worked with Coldplay and Gomez, and contains the hit single, Last Request. Now Nutini has released his second studio album, Sunny Side Up, containing the singles Candy and Coming Up Easy. It offers more of the soulful, semi-acoustic fare that characterised his first album, but is of note for more variety, and some surprises. It has him "rebranding himself as a mongrel hybrid of John Martyn, Otis Redding and Bob Marley", to quote one UK reviewer, while others have pointed out that the collection, produced by Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon), features an eclectic and "rougher" range of songs that sets it apart from its more slick predecessor. Having recorded in Ireland, Wales, New York, LA and the UK, Nutini - backed by his band The Vipers - wraps his voice around soul, folk, reggae and rock, with varying results. Better bets are probably the Bob Dylan-like Tricks of the Trade , The Motown-flecked Coming Up Easy and the sea-shanty Growing Up Beside You. And although many have slammed the reggae-lite elements of the album, I also rather enjoy the track Pencil Full of Lead. Groban fans will be delighted as he is in fine voice throughout - and, for some, his performance here of the rousing Anthem is alone worth the price of the album. Check it out. http://tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5116278&fSectionId=431&fSetId=251

 

July 27, 2009

Catching Up with Paolo Nutini

Soulful Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini’s 2006 debut, These Streets, sold more than 2 million copies and earned him a gig opening for the Rolling Stones (he was just 19 at the time). We chatted with the comely crooner, now on tour in support if his optimistically titled sophomore effort, Sunny Side Up, following his sold-out show at NYC’s Terminal 5. —Erin Clements

How would you describe your music?

Urban folk.

Is Sunny Side Up a big departure from These Streets?

I think the production is the main difference. It’s been given a lot more TLC than the first one.

How was the recording experience different with this one?

I had nothing else going on. This was all I had to do: make a record. There were fewer people wanting to hear songs and trying to manipulate them, and a lot less record-company involvement, which was good.

 Where did you record the album?

We recorded the first half in a place in Ireland called Grouse Lodge. We then recorded in Rockfield in Wales and we tied the rest up in a place in Bath called Real World Studios.

You opened for the Rolling Stones at the Isle of Wright Festival in 2007. How was that?

It was an honor—very humbling. But you know, I don’t ask too many questions, I just sang a song. We did a version of the song “Love in Vain.”

What was Mick like?

When I met him, I think he was on good behavior.

What other musicians would you like to collaborate with?

Bill Withers.

What’s your favorite city to tour in?

I like Colorado—Boulder and Vail. There’s a good vibe. There’s a steady supply of Miller High Life, and you can sit in the Jacuzzi while it’s snowing. That’s what it’s all about.

What’s the worst advice you’ve gotten?

There was a song we sang, “The Rich Folks.” It’s a pretty condescending song about really wealthy people. We got on set and someone asked if we were doing it, and I was like, “Yeah,” not realizing that we were doing the performance in the Hamptons.

Any ideas for the direction you want your next album to take?

It’ll probably be the best record yet—I can sense it. A lot of collaborations, guest spots. Timbaland is going to produce it. Fergie will do background vocals. It’s going to be genius. I’m going to take over the world.

http://fashion.elle.com/blog/2009/07/catching-up-with-paolo-nutini.html

 

'I'm Nuts about gin and cider'

By NADINA MENDOZA

Published: 27 Jun 2009

SCOTTISH singer/songwriter PAOLO NUTINI loves a stiff gin - and reckons cider is the perfect mixer.

The Paisley lad said: "It's only customary to swig cider at Glastonbury.

"The best way to have it is pouring some gin in.

"Or you can take something else... but I'm not supposed to say that."

He also revealed the famous faces he's spotted in the crowd at his gigs.

Paolo said: "ZACH BRAFF, ROD STEWART and P DIDDY have all been to my shows.

"But did I speak to Diddy? No... what could I possibly say to him?"

The folk rocker paid tribute to MICHAEL JACKSON, saying: "It's so sad. I've been thinking about doing a cover.

"There are so many to choose from but I think Ben is my favourite. It's very touching."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/2504789/Paolo-Nutini-reveals-gin-and-cider-is-his-favourite-Glastonbury-drink.html

DAVIES PUTS TOGETHER STAR TRACK FOR CHARITY

	Print article
	Refer to a friend

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

Rod Stewart - © ddp

2009-07-13 13:42:07 -

THE KINKS star RAY DAVIES is pooling together rockers ROD STEWART, RONNIE WOOD and PAOLO NUTINI to score a chart hit for charity.
Wood and Stewart, who played together in The Faces, are heading into the studio with Scottish singer Nutini to write a new song - with the proceeds going to one of the organisations the former Kinks frontman supports.
Nutini explains, "There is talk of us writing a song together and that would be an honour. We are going to write a song for a charity project Ray is involved in."

http://www.pr-inside.com/davies-puts-together-star-track-for-r1384284.htm

The Sun Monday, July 13, 2009

Paolo: I'm hardly Fred Astair

 

Paolo Nutini discusses sex with stv.tv at T in the Park

Paolo Nutini tells stv.tv why he keeps coming back to T in the Park and the true meaning behind Candy.

11 July 2009 20:00 PM

stv.tv caught up with Paolo Nutini ahead of his slot on the main stage at T in the Park.

He chatted about why he keeps returning to the festival and said: "every T in the Park I can remember has been pretty special."

He also added that he hoped his friends and family from Paisley would be coming to watch him because he needs "encouragement."

Paolo is a joy to speak too as he has remained extremely down to earth and humble despite his phenomenal success, most recently with album Sunny Side Up.

So was there an element of risk involved when the singer took a step away from the sing-along pop tunes everybody knew and loved?

Of course there was but it's to Paolo's credit that he was brave enough to do this and play music he wanted regardless of what other people thought.

Thankfully they loved it and hit single Candy has been one of the stand out tracks of 2009.

But what does Candy mean exactly? Everyone would guess sex but Paolo told us it's more than that.

Watch the video to find out the true meaning.

Last updated: 11 July 2009, 23:56

http://entertainment.stv.tv/t-in-the-park/interviews/108468-paolo-nutini-discusses-sex-with-stvtv-at-t-in-the-park/

T in the Park review: Paolo Nutini, Main Stage, 3.30pm

Picture: Ian Georgeson

 

Published Date: 11 July 2009

By Claire Black

Sometimes at music festivals there's a perfect moment when everything just comes together. Paolo Nutini found his in the beating sun of Saturday afternoon.

He shimmied on, waving his Saltire in front of him, and blasted straight into New Shoes. The crowd loved it, singing along, word perfect, and the Paisley boy looked very pleased with himself.

"Thanks, man," he drawled. He might sound Scottish when he sings but there's more than a hint of a transatlantic twang when he talks. Stomping through Pencil Full of Lead, with harmonicas and ukuleles agogo, it sounded like a cross between a New Orleans ragtime band and a hootenanny, the perfect soundtrack for a summer's day.

Then, with Phil Cunningham on stage for High Hopes and Growing Up Beside You, it got even better. Cutting edge? Not a chance, but when he sang "I love you more and more" and the crowd sang it back, it sounded like everyone meant it.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/T-in-the-Park-review.5451439.jp

Paolo Nutini draws huge crowd to Main Stage at T In The Park

Paolo Nutini woos the ladies for Live Earth. Pic Guy Eppel

Plus the singer-songwriter is joined onstage by Scottish folk legend

Unsurprisingly, it's a Scottish star who features in one of her favourite festival memories.

She said: "In 2007, someone on site, by mistake, told Paolo Nutini that it was my birthday.

"I was heavily pregnant and was in a cabin on site, struggling to do anything. The next minute Paolo came in and started to sing to me to congratulate me on my birthday.

"I didn't tell him it wasn't and it was a brilliant surprise - especially seeing as I couldn't make it round to the stage to see him play because of the pregnancy.

once he saw how pregnant I was, he cheekily changed the words of Jenny Don't be Hasty to Susie's having a baby'."

Nutini, from Paisley, is just one of a host of Scottish acts who will play at the festival this weekend, including by Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, the View, Idlewild, Calvin Harris, Glasvegas, Tommy Reilly, Twilight Sad, the Dykeenies and Mogwai.

Paolo Nutini found success with his very first CD — but it didn't paralyze him when it came to writing his sophomore album. TORONTO -- Paolo Nutini’s 2006 record, "These Streets," was one of the most buzzed-about debuts this decade. But even if his soulful tunes hadn't got tongues wagging straight out of the gate, his plan for winning over fans would have been the same. "When I was starting out, I said to my bandmates, 'Let's gig our asses off,'" the Scottish singer says. "So maybe commercially that album was successful," he adds, before taking the stage at the Opera House, "but that word-of-mouth thing is what you want as a musician." He spliced breezy bits of Strokes-y rock between raspy Cat Stevens-like snippets of heartbreak and quickly turned himself into a must-see live act, appearing at numerous festivals and landing a coveted opening spot at Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena. "People were coming to shows and meeting me after saying, 'I came with my girlfriend,' or 'I only came because I got given a ticket.' But in both cases they said, 'I'll be back.' "Listening to the live shows was making a better impact than the album was." But after two years on the road, the 22-year-old found that his musical ambitions had outgrown his live incarnation. "I felt like I'd been bathing in music for the last seven, eight years,” he says, slipping Rodriguez' little-known "Coming From Reality" into his CD player. "And now I had some ideas I wanted to expand on with the boys." Improvisation in the studio led to the jazzy, blues-rock hybrid that makes up most of Nutini's recently-released second disc, "Sunny Side Up." "I've seen a lot of references in magazines that infer this record is an obvious show that I'm trying to separate myself from other artists that I've been lumped with, or that this is an attempt for me to try and be taken seriously," he says. "As much as that is in the back of my mind, it was a very relaxed thing making this record." Emboldened by his "varied" fan base, Nutuni flirts equally with graveled balladry ("Candy," "Tricks of the Trade," "Coming Up Easy") and bouncy bits of ska and ragtime ("10/10," "Pencil Full of Lead") on the new disc. Nutini knows even if his extra-curricular antics aren't Amy Winehouse headline-worthy, critics have been eager to characterize him as just another blue-eyed soul singer. "It's a weird place to be," he admits. "There are times when you feel like you've achieved something and you feel good, but it can go two ways," he says, slapping a fist into his palm to illustrate some of the critical barbs that have been lobbed his way. "But I remember how [Bob] Dylan said, 'If there were no songs written tomorrow, there's more than you could even imagine out there ready to push all your buttons in different ways.'" Sliding up to his CD player, Nutini turns Rodriguez up and points out the ways in which his songs play like a distant relative to Carole King's "Tapestry." "See," he says, mock strumming, singing bits of "I Think of You," "there are only so many cards and so many ways to put them together." Paolo Nutini performs at Day One of Toronto's Virgin Festival on Saturday, August 29. On the Net: www.paolonutini.com http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/N/Nutini_Paolo/2009/08/25/10603876-ca.html

From The Paisley Daily Express:

Are Paolo, David or Gerard sexy enough for Hottest Scotsman crown?


THREE celebrity Buddies are flying the flag for Paisley in the race to be crowned the sexiest Scot on the planet.

Hunky actor Gerard Butler, Doctor Who star David Tennant and chart-topping singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini have all been nominated for the title of Hottest Scotsman in a competition being run as part of the Homecoming Scotland celebrations.

And Paisley Daily Express readers are being encouraged to cast their votes for the man they think is the ultimate ‘Buddie beautiful.’

Votes have already been flooding in for movie star Gerard, who has starred in hit films such as 300 and PS: I Love You. Among those who are backing him to lift the title is Valerie Buttery, who is a member of the actor’s Facebook fan page.

Valerie said: “This man is sexier than Brad Pitt and a great actor too. Gerard should definitely win sexiest Scot!”

However, former Paisley Grammar School pupil David is not without his fans either, while heart-throb Paolo is also proving to be a smash hit in the Hottest Scotsman competition.

Both David and Gerard were brought up in that hotbed of Paisley acting talent that is Ralston, which was also home to fellow actor Tom Conti, who starred in a string of hit TV programmes and films, including Shirley Valentine.

And Paolo has risen to the top of the pop music tree in recent years, thanks to his distinctive voice and songwriting skills.

Scots all over the world are being urged to go online to vote for the famous man they think is most hot to trot.

Also nominated for the Hottest Scotsman crown is Glaswegian actor James McAvoy, who learned his trade with Paisley Youth Theatre.

James has won an army of fans across the world by starring in blockbusters such as The Last King of Scotland and Atonement.

And joining him on the list is celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who was born in Johnstone.

With a line-up like that, the odds are that someone with a Renfrewshire connection will scoop the title of Hottest Scotsman.

All they have to do is beat the rest of the celebrities who have been nominated for the title – actors Sir Sean Connery and Dougray Scott, tennis player Andy Murray and cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy.

The Hottest Scotsman competition is just one of a series of events being staged to mark Homecoming Scotland 2009, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of world famous poet Robert Burns.

To vote for the celebrity you think is Scotland’s sexiest, visit the website at www.homecomingscotland2009.com/hotscots.html

'I'm Nuts about gin and cider'