Paolo Nutini is cruising to a third consecutive U.K. No. 1 with Last Night in the Bittersweet, his fourth and latest studio album.
The Scottish singer and songwriter will be hard to beat. Based on midweek data published by the OCC, Last Night is outpacing its nearest rival by four to one.
Nutini burst onto the scene with his debut 2006 album These Streets, which swept to No. 3 on the national survey. His sophomore set, 2009’s Sunny Side Up, went to No. 1, as did its followup, 2014’s Caustic Love.
The closest competitor is Florida-originated rock outfit Shinedown, whose Planet Zero starts at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update. Planet Zero is album No. 7 for Shinedown. It’s the followup to 2018’s Attention Attention, which peaked at No. 8, and if it stays on target, it’ll bag the band a first U.K. Top 5 appearance.
Meanwhile, Unprecedented, the new collaborative release from UB40’s founding members Ali Campbell and the late Terence “Astro” Wilson, is tracking for a No. 6 debut, while Nick Cave is eyeing an eighth solo U.K. Top 10 appearance with Seven Psalms, which is heading for a No. 8 bow.
Seven Psalms is a collection of spoken word pieces set to moody music recorded with Warren Ellis, Cave’s Bad Seed and Dirty Three collaborator.
Further down the midweek list, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic could power Elvis Presley back into the U.K. Top 20, as ELV1S: 30 Number 1 Hits returns to No. 16. The hits collection lead the survey proper following its release 20 years ago.
Finally, Adele’s sold-out performance at London’s Hyde Park last weekend should have a measurable impact on the chart, as her chart-leading 2021 set 30 soars 46 spots to No. 28 on the Official Chart Update.
The London-born superstar singer had the biggest record on the planet last year with 30, according to the IFPI, leading the international trade body’s three year-end albums charts.
The Official U.K. Albums Chart is presented late Friday.