Paolo Nutini
Sunny Side Up

Three years after his debut album, "These Streets," former nineteen-year-old prodigy Paolo Nutini returns without much fanfare to tread the English pop scene with his second album, "Sunny Side Up," self-produced and recorded in a few months for Atlantic Records. The path taken by the young Scottish singer-songwriter is clear from the leading single, "Candy", a melancholic and intimate ballad that somehow anticipates much of the folk pop soul of this record. It should be said immediately that Nutini's voice has changed quite a bit compared to his beginnings, as has his approach to music and lyrics; what we have here is a mature and inspired work, and above all honest. Although there is still a certain "childish" use of the lyrics and the compositional limits already emerged in the previous album are still quite evident, the overall setup is positive, and the choice to propose music that is quite distant, both in ideas and means, from any form of britpop or indie-rock currently in vogue, cannot help but be encouraging for the future productions of this pure and independent singer-songwriter, despite his age and the expectations of the label.

The beginning immediately amazes the listener: "10/10" is a surprising ska complete with trumpets and piano that Nutini interprets with an almost reggae approach. The new flexibility of his vocal range is just one of the many surprises of the album, even more commendable when considering that his rough and disenchanted timbre always and unmistakably remains, making the interpretations very personal. The following "Coming up easy" starts slow and reflective, only to open up in the final climax, with trumpets and voice once again in the spotlight. "Growing up beside you" instead hosts organ and choirs closely reminiscent of the unforgettable Graceland by Paul Simon, an album that Nutini must have studied thoroughly judging by the many more or less blatant references and citations that will emerge again at other times throughout the work. The first real love song of the album is "Candy": a songwriting masterpiece, it could very well belong to the later Blur if it weren't for Nutini's so particular singing - even though it's the knopflerian solo and the pathos of the finale that fully qualifies it as the best piece of the album. The next "Tricks of the trade" is a splendid example of a Damien Rice-style ballad, sad and calm, in which Nutini is accompanied only by acoustic guitar and the ever-present choirs of his group, the Vipers.

With the rhythmic "Pencil full of lead" it seems the second part of the album begins, once again in the spirit of folk pop that perfectly assimilates the "exotic" lesson of the already mentioned Graceland by Simon without falling into conservatism or mannerism. The following "No other way" is instead a very Sixties soul ballad that stands out for the splendid vocal performance of Nutini, culminating in a shouted and poignant finale that irretrievably captures the listener. The same argument made for "Growing up beside you" applies to "High hopes"; excellent work by the horn section, supporting Nutini's cheerful falsetto and an expansive and joyful melody, as befits the lyrics. The following "Chamber music" is one of the most evocative productions of the entire album, with an instrumental interlude dominated by flutes; a discourse that seems to continue with "Simple things", ennobled by a sudden change of direction and rhythm in the finale. Nutini's genius seems to be in condensing in just over two minutes structural and stylistic insights that demonstrate great maturity and a considerable desire to experiment with the means at his disposal (in this regard it should be emphasized that the entire album is "played," contrary to much production of the same type, which often resorts to digital to reproduce many of these sounds). The penultimate track of the album is a ballad close to R.E.M. of Around the sun, "Worried man", sustained by violins and choirs. It is one of the most melodically inspired points of the work, perfect for introducing the brief choral closure of "Keep rolling", which takes us back to 1950s scenarios.

All things considered, this second album by Paolo Nutini surprises for the independent and sincere approach given to each single song, a rather rare quality nowadays. Nutini wanted to conceive an album according to his ideal of music. He wanted to be himself, without embellishments and without second thoughts. The result was a felt album, a lived album and interpreted, in the literal sense of the word, from beginning to end. Even where the songwriting work seems bland, the great vocal ability and the continuous desire to amaze of the young Scottish singer-songwriter always and anyway intervene. Don't be fooled by the cover reminiscent of Cesare Cremonini, this here is an artist with a capital "A".