Paulo Nutini - Coming Up Easy

New Singles - Commercial Pap Singles

Written by Jordan White

Is Paulo Nutini going cold turkey on those easy-to-sing tunes that were so prominent on his debut album? After the disappointment of lead single "Candy", "Coming Up Easy" takes a soulful edge on things.

Five stars for the brilliant use of the organ at the start of the song. That, coupled with the hint of echo in Nutini's voice, conjures up images of a live performance in a retro bingo hall.

Musically, however, there is no catchy hook or hummable line until the final sixty seconds when everything picks up a notch and ends on a high with the addition of some brass instruments and big erratic vocals.

It's a maturer sound from the Scot which works well on the up-tempo, but also gives us a chorus to remember.

7.5/10

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VA – Smoove pres: MO’ RECORD KICKS: Act II

This latest collection from label Record Kicks is easy on the ear.

If it doesn’t have you dreaming of better days in the snap of a second, there is something wrong with you. This record is an aphrodisiac for the modern workplace.

From "The Young Patter" by the Baker Brothers and "Prophets Bound to Christ" by William Joseph Fowler & the Disciples, DJ Smoove mixes up a storm on record Act II. With the types of sounds that would be at home at a funk club in the funkiest of cities in the funkiest of countries, there is no denying that DJ Smoove is, for want of a better description, a cool cat.

A particularly favourite track of this reviewer is "Rags to Riches" by the Liberators, a fresh afro-funk act hailing from Sydney, Australia. The track is so rich with the sounds of Africa, it is a wonder it was not produced in, ummm, Africa.

The Diplomats of Solid Sound have been on my radar for a while, and so have Lack of Afro. So it does not surprise me that the Lack of Afro remix of the Diplomat’s tune "Give Me One More Chance", is an outright classic.

Similarly to a lot of the new releases from the team at label Record Kicks, this is highly recommended!

Label: Record Kicks

8/10