The lights are dimmed in the basement of Detroit Institute Of Musical Education (DIME), with about 60 people over the capacity. Our shoulders were overlapping with the person next to us, behind us and in front of us. I really couldn't believe that UK's biggest artist was in my hometown doing a show- better yet doing a show for free...an intimate show for free! With nothing more than a keyboard, an acoustic guitar and his gravely voice.
Paolo Nutini was not even 20 feet away from me and I just about died. we have all been there before, right? We go to our favorite concert and try to play if off cool but really we are sweaty, giggly messes who want nothing more then to hop up on stage and lay a giant smooch on their lips.....well at least I hope we've all been there because that's how I certainly was!(Hopefully that didn't sound too creepy). As he sang through his set, one thoughtfully written song after another, he would explain why he wrote the song, when he did, his influences, how many time he wrote it and rewrote it again and let me tell you, hearing that made me have a greater appreciation for his music more than I already did. Born and raised in Paisley, Scotland, Nutini started singing his blues away at a young age and probably didn't expect to become UK's #1 artist at the ripe age of 19.
In 2006 he debuted his first album called "These Streets," singing about the love of his home town (these streets), a pair of his favor shoes (new shoes), and wanting to go back to a time when things were much more simple (rewind). The voice he has does not match the way he looks and I think that is certainly a big factor as to why people are so in love with him...or at least why I am. Do you know when you hear someone's voice and it's smooth like butter? Well this is not the case with Nutini's voice: Imagine putting shards of glass in a cup and drinking it then washing it down with some whiskey....that's the kind of voice he has.
About 3 years later his second album was released! "Sunny Side Up," this album has crazy amounts of folk sounding influence and was HELLA GOOD with songs that sang about his struggle such as "Worried Man" and "Candy". Last but not least, in 2014, Nutini released "Caustic Love", in my personal opinion this has been the best so far. "Iron Sky," includes songs such as "Cherry blossom," "Funk My Life Up" and "Iron Sky." I can't even begin to tell you about the first time I heard "Iron Sky"...it was a magical experience for me. I think I love this song so much because it isn't talking about love, or drugs or anything bad like that, it's talking about the troubles of the world and how we all have to unite to make this world a wonderful place.
In the middle of the song is a speech from the one and only Charlie Chaplin, from the well know movie "The Great Dictator," with Nutini's smooth beat behind it. So next time you are looking for some music to chill out to, or to throw on at a party or if you just feel like listening to something out of the ordinary, put on some Paolo Nutini and fall in love the the rough, gravely voice of this Scottish singer.
These Streets(These Streets- Acoustic): Sunny Side Up(Worried Man):
Caustic Love(Iron Sky):
