These Streets

These Streets
Studio album by
Released17 July 2006
GenrePop rock
Length44:25
LabelAtlantic
ProducerKen Nelson, Jim Duguid, Tom Elmhirst, Andy Green
Paolo Nutini chronology
These Streets
(2006)
Sunny Side Up
(2009)
Singles from These Streets
  1. "Last Request"
    Released: 3 July 2006
  2. "Jenny Don't Be Hasty"
    Released: 25 September 2006
  3. "Rewind"
    Released: 4 December 2006
  4. "New Shoes"
    Released: 12 March 2007

These Streets is the debut studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, released by Atlantic Records on 17 July 2006. Preceded by the single "Last Request", the album debuted and peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified with five Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for domestic shipments in excess of 1,500,000 copies. It also entered the charts in many other European countries, and in 2011 it was certified double Platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales of over 2,000,000 copies in Europe.

Background

Most of the songs featured on the album were inspired by the end of Nutini's relationships with his long-term girlfriend Teri Brogan, and another girl which began when they were still in their teens. Among the others, "Last Request" describes the couple's last night together, while "Rewind" expresses the willing of turning back time before the end of another relationship were his lover left him alone in a hotel. Another auto-biographical intimate relationship served as the inspiration for the album's second single, "Jenny Don't Be Hasty", which tells about Nutini's involvement with an older woman who refused him because of his age.

Other tracks from the album explore different themes, like the title-track, which describes the feelings of a boy who leaves his hometown to move to a big city, or "New Shoes", a song telling about a man who finds life easier as he wears a new pair of shoes. According to Nutini, the song was written trying to imagine if solving problems could be as easy as buying shoes is.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
IndieLondon
The Observer
Rolling Stone
The New York Times(positive)

These Streets garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics. Marisa Brown of AllMusic praised Nutini's ability to convey mature honesty by crafting songs that carry effective lyrics and catchy melodies, concluding that the record "won't blow anyone away with its creativeness or ingenuity, but it's done well and it's direct and open and enjoyable to listen to, which is more than enough." Nick Levine of The Observer saw potential in Nutini's "talent for elegant, melodic songwriting and an admirable willingness to vary the tempo." He concluded with, "[T]here is a glut of singer-songwriters right now but, on this evidence, the half-Italian 18-year-old boasts more talent than most." Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard felt the album didn't have any replay value because it had songs that lacked strong choruses and recognizable lyricism, saying that "For Nutini's lady fans, These Streets might be something to get hot and bothered about, but most of us could take or leave this useless beauty."

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jenny Don't Be Hasty"Paolo Nutini, Jimmy Hogarth3:29
2."Last Request"Nutini, Jim Duguid, Matty Benbrook3:41
3."Rewind"Nutini, Duguid4:19
4."Million Faces"Nutini, Benbrook, Pauline Taylor3:41
5."These Streets"Nutini, Pete Wilkinson, Sarah Erasmus3:53
6."New Shoes"Nutini, Benbrook, Duguid3:21
7."White Lies"Nutini, John Fortis4:00
8."Loving You"Nutini, Duguid, Chris Leonard4:00
9."Autumn"Nutini, Duguid2:50
10."Alloway Grove" (includes the acoustic version of "Last Request" as a hidden track)Nutini, Rollo Armstrong14:12
French Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."No No No"Nutini, Benbrook, Taylor3:45
12."Sugar Man"Sixto Diaz Rodriguez2:06
13."Caledonia" (Live at Garage, Glasgow)Dougie MacLean4:00
Live in Concert Version Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Last Request" (Live from Kentish Town Forum)3:45
12."Rewind" (Live from Kentish Town Forum)5:01
13."Jenny Don't Be Hasty" (Live from Kentish Town Forum)5:08
14."New Shoes" (Live from Kentish Town Forum)4:09
15."Rainbows" (Live from Kentish Town Forum)4:30
Festival Edition Disc 2 (recorded live at the Isle of Wight Festival 2007)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Alloway Grove"Nutini, Rollo Armstrong4:25
2."New Shoes"Nutini, Benbrook, Duguid4:04
3."Rewind"Nutini, Duguid4:34
4."These Streets"Nutini, Wilkinson, Erasmus3:38
5."Troubled So Hard (Natural Blues)"Moby, Vera Hall3:34
6."Last Request"Nutini, Duguid, Benbrook4:09
7."I Want To Be Like You"Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman 
8."Jenny Don't Be Hasty"Nutini, Hogarth5:21

Personnel

Technical

  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Michael Brauermixing
  • Dean Chalkley – photography
  • Jim Duguid – A&R assistance, assistance, production
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing, production
  • Robert Gold – art direction
  • Andy Green – mixing, production
  • Paul Wesley Griggs – photography
  • Thomas Haimovici – A&R
  • Dominic Leung – cover design
  • Brendan Moon – A&R assistance, assistant
  • Gregg Nadel – product management
  • Ken Nelsonengineering, mixing, production, recording
  • Conor O'Mahony – A&R
  • Mark Pythian – engineering, mixing
  • Richard Skinner – creative direction
  • Richard Wilkinson – engineering
  • Julian Wilmott – assistance

Charts and certifications

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP) Gold 75,000*
Ireland (IRMA) 2× Platinum 30,000^
Italy (FIMI) Gold 25,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) 5× Platinum 1,500,000*
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

As of 2007, sales in the United States have exceeded 114,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Release history

Region Release date Format Label
United Kingdom 17 July 2006 CD, download Atlantic
Italy 29 September 2006
United States 30 January 2007

This page was last updated at 2023-12-03 02:35 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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