‘Caustic Love’ finds Paolo Nutini giving in to ambition and making it work. It’s a muscular soul record, unashamedly old-fashioned and beautifully performed, that puts open water between the artist he aspires to be and his tentative beginnings as an indie-pop troubadour.
Taking his musical cues from Otis Redding, Stax and Joe Cocker, Nutini’s lyrics flit between introspective analysis and lascivious swagger. So, the refrain of the album’s lead single, Scream (Funk My Life Up) pairs him with a “girl so fine, makes you want to scream hallelujah”, while a few songs later, “that girl makes me want to be a better man” on the suitably titled Better Man.
Just as there is a leap in maturity from the carefree ‘Sunny Side Up’, Nutini’s voice has filled out. At times here it’s simply revelatory, both wounded and powerful and possessed of a grit missing from so many of today’s retro revivalists. While this is a soul album, it’s not one that settles for merely trotting out the big moves of yesteryear. There will be no matching jackets or dance moves here.
There is a depth of feeling and atmosphere throughout that prevents ‘Caustic Love’ from becoming pedestrian. Iron Sky, in particular, is the sort of song that doesn’t come around every day, its emotional punch bolstered by a superb horn line.
If the album’s second half lacks the immediacy of the first, Janelle Monae’s boisterous appearance on Fashion and Cherry Blossom’s winsome melodies aside, then it’s not enough to pull the album from the tracks. ‘Caustic Love’ is a big album for Nutini, who’s a megastar in waiting, and suitably, it has the potential to be a very big album indeed.
Paolo Nutini Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat May 24 2014 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Tue May 27 2014 - EDINBURGH Usher Hall
Wed May 28 2014 - BRIDLINGTON Spa
Fri May 30 2014 - WOLVERHAMPTON Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Sat May 31 2014 - BRIGHTON Centre
Mon June 02 2014 - NORWICH UEA
Tue June 03 2014 - LONDON Roundhouse
Wed June 25 2014 - BRISTOL Bristol Harbourside
Tue July 08 2014 - CORK Live At Marquee
Wed July 09 2014 - CORK Live At Marquee
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