Paolo Nutini’s – Caustic Love
Paolo Nutini’s first album These Streets was a defining feature of my teenage years, with a track seemingly for every mood, I listened to it everyday on my journey to school for about a year. Clearly a huge fan, my expectations were high and having been largely disappointed with the Scots second album, Sunny Side Up, I felt his third studio album Caustic Love might offer the perfect opportunity to make amends.
Paolo certainly seems to be onto a winner with his latest release already scoring the fastest selling album of 2014. With his first album debuting when he was just 19 years old, Paolo is now 27 yet still managing to look as handsome as he did in his younger years, perhaps due to the singers Italian-Scottish heritage. His first single release of the album, Scream (Funk my life up), demonstrates that his new album seems to have moved in a slightly rocky/jazzy direction, but certainly to Paolo’s favour. The record as a whole succeeds in channelling a diversity of genres whilst not becoming shambolic. Recorded with a large live band in Glasgow, the album is passionate and exciting and one you’ll want to listen to on repeat.
In much the same way as Adele his return to the music scene comes following a 5-year break due to a split with his childhood sweetheart, often the provocation of great music. There is a power in the singer/songwriters voice that I feel rivals Amy Winehouse, with a similar vintage soul sound. A personal favourite track of mine is the acoustic Better Man, a song that conveys all the intensity I recognise from These Streets whilst remaining gentle and emotive, as he promises to ‘treat her like a real man can.’ His live Abbey Road version of the truly epic Iron Sky was received with a ridiculous amount of praise, including from stars such as Adele who described it as ‘one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Paolo has clearly been busy with radio and television performances with a recent appearance on Jools Holland and a magnificent cover of CHVRCHES, Recover on BBC Radio 1’s live lounge.
I would give Paolo’s latest album a deserving 4 stars out of 5, as the talent of Nutini is a welcome return to real music and I am so glad to see him back at the top of his game.