ALBUM REVIEW: Paolo Nutini ‘Caustic Love’

I don’t think I have ever rushed to my laptop so fast as I did upon finding out Paolo Nutini’s new album ‘Caustic Love’ was streaming on iTunes. After being leaked online (boo!) the wisest thing to do was make the album readily available to stream; arguably, the album leaking online was a blessing in disguise. Upon the first listen my belief that this man can do no wrong was instantly solidified, and this only increases with more listens. Had Paolo set out with the intention of writing an awful album, it probably would have still ended up far beyond what most musicians could ever dream of writing.

The first track on the album is, unsurprisingly, the first single Scream (Funk My Life Up). Already making a name as possibly one of the best songs to come out of 2014, and a perfect soundtrack for summer, this is also the perfect start to the album. Paolo doesn’t hold back and starts positive, soulful as always and the strength of this album is set from the beginning. Scream is exactly what we’d expect from Paolo, but somehow not predictable. His voice seems to develop with every album he does and Scream is the perfect presentation of this.

The whole album continues to flow, the sample in Let Me Down Easy heightening the soulful feel that makes you want nothing more than to lie in the sun and appreciate his sheer talent. The one criticism I have with this album (which I’m not even sure is a criticism) is that the interlude tracks, Bus Talk and Superfly are too good to be fillers; surely a couple of extra minutes on the album would’ve been fine?! They’re disappointingly short. Teasing isn’t nice.

‘Caustic Love’, while having it’s own distinct sound, appears to be a mix of previous albums ‘These Streets’ and ‘Sunny Side Up’. It shifts flawlessly from the nostalgic-feeling ballads like One Day to the more light-hearted, Numpty. Not only does Paolo Nutini know how to write songs, he knows how to write albums. Initially listening to this on the iTunes stream, I was given no choice but to listen to the album in order, in one go. Realistically, this is how this album should be listened to. It’s an emotional journey, no doubt, but one that should definitely be travelled (ideally in the sun, on a deck chair, when there’s nothing to stress about).

The album slows down dramatically in the middle for Better Man and Iron Sky, Iron Sky being a majestic journey of its own, alluding to both politics and freedom, building itself before bringing the funk back with Diana and Fashion feat. Janelle Monáe.

It finishes slowly with Someone Like You, which again is too short for my liking, but its bluesy sound and slightly gospel harmonies and is the perfect end to the album, albeit a rather sudden and certainly unwelcome end.

‘Caustic Love’ was almost definitely worth waiting 5 years for (Paolo’s only redeemed himself by saying he wants another album out in the next years).

Melissa Svensen