Wikipedia

Caustic Love

(Redirected from Better Man (Paolo Nutini song))

Caustic Love is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, released on 14 April 2014 by Atlantic Records. After releasing his critically and commercially successful album Sunny Side Up (2009), Nutini toured for two years. In February 2011, Nutini began writing and recording the album Caustic Love, which he co-produced with Dani Castelar.

Caustic Love
Studio album by
Paolo Nutini
Released14 April 2014
Recorded2013
Genre
Length51:34
LabelAtlantic
ProducerPaolo Nutini, Dani Castelar
Paolo Nutini chronology
Sunny Side Up
(2009) 		Caustic Love
(2014) 		Last Night in the Bittersweet
(2022)
Singles from Caustic Love
  1. "Scream (Funk My Life Up)"
    Released: 28 January 2014
  2. "Let Me Down Easy"
    Released: 17 June 2014
  3. "Iron Sky"
    Released: 14 August 2014
  4. "One Day"
    Released: 30 November 2014

Upon release, Caustic Love was met with positive reviews from music critics, who noted the album as "the best UK R&B album since the 1970s blue-eyed-soul heyday." Commercially the album was a success; it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 109,000 copies sold, making it the fastest-selling album of the year in the region. It was also selected on 8 December 2014[2] by Apple to become the Best Album in iTunes' 'Best of 2014'.[3]

The album was preceded by the single "Scream (Funk My Life Up)", released as a digital download on 28 January 2014 and as a physical single on 30 March 2014.[4][5]

Background

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In May 2009, Nutini released his second album, Sunny Side Up, which debuted at number one in the UK and in Ireland. It contained the singles: "Candy", "Coming Up Easy", "Pencil Full of Lead" and "10/10". Sunny Side Up has also been certified five-times platinum by the BPI and was the eighth-biggest-selling album in the UK in 2009.[6] In December 2013 he announced via social networks that his new album Caustic Love would be released in April 2014 - Friday 11 April in Ireland, Monday 14 April in UK.

Recording

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As of February 2011, Paolo Nutini was in the studio working on new material.[7] He toured for two years after the release of his second studio album, followed by a hiatus from music in which he went home and "spent a good few months partying there, then I detoxed, then I retoxed." During this time Nutini was "writing along and recording little bits," for the following two years Nutini put the "spotlight" on the album stating he had "never written as much, but I had to take a bit of time. My writing used to come from a different place. I used to be more picky and there used to be a more pop sensibility to what I would naturally come up with." This was followed by Nutini writing "nothing but poetry", although he hated the notion of "trying to turn it into a verse-chorus-verse-chorus-type song, and struggled with it and got no pleasure from it whatsoever."[8] The album's recording took place in a variety of locations, including Grouse Lodge Studios in Ireland; RAK Studios, Sarm Studios, Studio 45, The Premises, The Strong Room in London; Studio Barxeta in Valencia, Spain; Sunset Sound in Los Angeles; The Old Police Station as well as Cava Sound in Glasgow and Toy Room Studios in Brighton.[9]

Singles

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"Scream (Funk My Life Up)" was released as the album's lead single on 28 January 2014. A music video, directed by Nez,[4][5][10] was released on YouTube on 10 March 2014[11] and a physical single released on 30 March 2014. The song peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 5 in Scotland. The song has also charted in Belgium and Switzerland.

Initially a non-charting single in the Netherlands, the song Iron Sky was revived by radio station 3FM in early 2015 following the Paris shootings at the Charlie Hebdo offices on 7 January 2015. It was rush re-released as a single and only a week later reached number 15 in 3FM's Mega Top 50 chart.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
Clash7/10[14]
The Guardian     [15]
The Independent     [1]
The Daily Telegraph     [16]

Caustic Love received positive reviews from music critics, holding a score of 79/100 on Metacritic, indicating, "generally favourable reviews".[12] In a very positive review, The Independent called the album an "unqualified success", later going on to say it may be "the best UK R&B album since the 1970s blue-eyed-soul heyday of Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker."[1]

Chart performance

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Caustic Love debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart, outselling the same week's number 2, The Vamps' Meet the Vamps, by five copies to one.[17] In the United Kingdom, as of 20 April 2014, the album had sold 109,000 copies therefore, making it the fastest selling album of the year, beating Sam Bailey's The Power of Love, which sold 72,644 copies in its debut week.[18] The album held on to the top spot of the UK charts for a second week, bringing its total sales up to 162,000 copies.[19] The album would go on to spend a third week at number one, bringing its sales to 198,000 copies.[20]

Track listing

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All tracks are produced by Paolo Nutini and Dan Castelar, unless noted otherwise.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Scream (Funk My Life Up)"Paolo Nutini 3:09
2."Let Me Down Easy"
 3:32
3."Bus Talk" (interlude)
 1:30
4."One Day"
  • Nutini
  • Castelar
  • Abrahams
5:06
5."Numpty"Nutini
  • Nutini
  • Castelar
  • Abrahams
3:54
6."Superfly" (interlude)
  • Nutini
  • Abrahams
  • Nutini
  • Castelar
  • Abrahams
1:13
7."Better Man"Nutini 5:29
8."Iron Sky"
 6:13
9."Diana"
  • Nutini
  • Nelson
 3:35
10."Fashion" (featuring Janelle Monáe)
  • Nutini
  • Abrahams
  • Monáe
3:06
11."Looking for Something"
  • Nutini
  • Michael McDaid
 6:21
12."Cherry Blossom"
  • Nutini
  • Nelson
  • McDaid
  • Donny Little
  • Gavin Fitzjohn
  • Thomas Simon
 6:17
13."Someone like You"Nutini 2:09

Notes

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[48] Gold 25,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[49] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] 2× Platinum 600,000^

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

Release history

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Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom[51] 14 April 2014 CD, digital download Atlantic Records
Italy[52][53] 15 April 2014
United States[54] 16 September 2014

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Gill, Andy (11 April 2014). "Album reviews: Paolo Nutini, Kelis, The Afghan Whigs, Rodney Crowell, Mayra Andrade, Smoke Fairies". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. ^ Spencer, Graham (8 December 2014). "Apple Posts 'Best of 2014' App Store and iTunes Store Lists". Mac Stories. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. ^ "iTunes Jazz Album of the Year 2014 for Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra". Gondwana Records. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Scream (Funk My Life Up) - Single by Paolo Nutini on Apple Music". iTunes. 28 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Paolo Nutini unveils new album Caustic Love artwork, tracklist". Digital Spy. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  6. ^ "2009 Music shows decline but digital retail market starts to deliver". Official Charts Company. 10 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  7. ^ Interactive, Isle. "Paolo Nutini - - Paolo's LIVE Dates for Summer 2011... The Story So Far!". paolonutini.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Where has Paolo Nutini been for the past 5 years? - Music Feature". Digital Spy. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  9. ^ "Paolo Nutini: Caustic Love - Atlantic (Label) - ATL 544717 - 825646312306 - HBDirect Hiphop". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  10. ^ Lane, Daniel (11 March 2014). "Paolo Nutini unveils video for new single Scream (Funk My Life Up)". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  11. ^ Paolo Nutini (10 March 2014). "Paolo Nutini - Scream (Funk My Life Up) [Official Video]" – via YouTube.
  12. ^ a b "Critic reviews for Caustic Love". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Caustic Love - Paolo Nutini". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  14. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (4 April 2014). "Paolo Nutini - Caustic Love". Clash. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  15. ^ Bennett, James (13 April 2014). "Paolo Nutini: Caustic Love review – 'real grit and passion'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  16. ^ Brown, Helen (18 April 2014). "Paolo Nutini, Caustic Love, review: 'from jaunty charm to depth and ambition'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Paolo Uno (di nuovo)". Chart-track.co.uk. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  18. ^ Lane, Daniel. "Could Paolo Nutini be on track for the fastest-selling album of the year so far?". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Paolo Nutini spends second week on top with Caustic Love". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Paolo Nutini spends third week at Number 1 with Caustic Love". Official Charts.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  25. ^ "Paolo Nutini Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  26. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  29. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  30. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2014. 16. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  31. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 16, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  32. ^ "Artisti - Classifica settimanale WK 16 (dal 14-04-2014 al 20-04-2014)" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  33. ^ "Charts.nz – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  35. ^ "Novedades y Listas Oficiales de Ventas" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  37. ^ "Paolo Nutini | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  38. ^ "Paolo Nutini Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2014 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  40. ^ "Repports Annuels – 2014 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  42. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014" (in German). Schweizer Hitparade. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  43. ^ Moss, Liv (1 January 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2014". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  44. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2015". Ultratop. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  45. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2015". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  46. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  47. ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  48. ^ "Italian album certifications – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Caustic Love" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  49. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Caustic Love in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2015 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  50. ^ "British album certifications – Paolo Nutini – Caustic Love". British Phonographic Industry.
  51. ^ Corner, Lewis (28 January 2014). "Paolo Nutini premieres new single 'Scream', announces album - listen". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  52. ^ "Paolo Nutini presenta il suo Caustic Love". Libero (in Italian). 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  53. ^ Minelli, Elisa (15 April 2015). "Caustic Love, il nuovo Paolo Nutini: 51 minuti di pura emozione" (in Italian). Musicwall.net. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  54. ^ Jon Pareles; Jon Caramanica; Ben Ratliff; Ben Chinen (4 September 2014). "Fall Arts Preview". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015.
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